Factors Affecting Citizen Engagement in the Kingdom of Bahrain Through Gamification

Abstract

Civic engagement, as a fundamental pillar of participatory governance, has evolved with the integration of digital platforms, aiming to foster inclusive decision-making processes. However, sustaining meaningful engagement remains a challenge. Gamification, the integration of game elements into non-game contexts, offers a novel approach to address this challenge by enhancing user motivation and participation. This study investigated the influence of gamification on civic engagement in Bahrain. The study focused on independent variables such as Performance Expectation, Effort Expectation, Social Influence, Facilitating Condition, Gamification Perceived Ease of Use, and Gamification Perceived Usefulness, and their effects on the dependent variables of Behavioral Intention and Civic Engagement. The analysis revealed significant positive relationships between Performance Expectation, Effort Expectation, Social Influence, Facilitating Condition, Gamification Perceived Ease of Use, and Gamification Perceived Usefulness, with Behavioral Intention. This indicates that individuals who have higher expectations of performance, perceive greater effort expectations, feel more social influence, find gamification easy to use, and perceive it as useful are more likely to express intention for civic engagement. Furthermore, a significant positive relationship was found between Behavioral Intention and Civic Engagement, demonstrating that individuals with a stronger intention to engage in civic activities are more likely to actively participate in civic engagement. These findings collectively highlight the relevance of the proposed model's constructs in shaping civic engagement behaviors among individuals in Bahrain. The study underscored the potential of gamification to enhance citizen participation and involvement in civic activities by improving factors such as performance expectations, effort expectations, social influence, and the perceived ease of use and usefulness of gamification elements.