Religious Resource Literacy as a Predictor of Collective Participation of Indonesian Muslim Students in the Digital Era

Abstract

Digital platforms are transforming the way religious authorities reach Muslim students. However, researchers often measure religious literacy solely as doctrinal knowledge, leaving source-assessment skills and participation in religious collectives understudied. This study maps the religious literacy of Indonesian Muslim students and identifies dimensions that predict their participation in religious collectives. A cross-sectional survey of 161 students from 34 universities used a 27-item instrument covering five dimensions (α = 0.931). Data were analysed using nonparametric tests, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, the chi-square test, and multiple regression. Respondents' self-assessed literacy was high on the doctrinal and devotional dimensions (M = 4.02–4.17), but significantly lower on the religious network dimension (M = 3.47). For 59.0% of respondents, religious network was the lowest-scoring dimension. Students rated their critical attitude toward online religious content 0.53 points higher than their competence in verifying hadith (p < 0.001; r = 0.545). Access to religious sources was the only significant predictor of collective participation (β = 0.305; p = 0.001), while devotional practices were not. Secondary education background did not differentiate any competency scores (p = 0.348), but significantly influenced students' reliance on religious authority (χ² = 18.39; p = 0.005). These findings suggest that strengthening collective religious participation is likely more effective through teaching methodological verification skills than by simply strengthening ritual observance.