Believed Efficacy and Political Activity: A Test of the Specificity Hypothesis

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Abstract
Four studies were conducted with American college and noncollege populations, using a criterion measure of political activity, to compare overall (locus of control), political, and situation-specific believed efficacy. Subjects completed scales that examined both their feelings of efficacy and their political activity (e.g., voting and participating in demonstrations). Statistical analyses across all four studies confirmed the hypothesis that the more situation-specific the feelings of efficacy, the greater the predictability of political behavior. Thus, the believed efficacy of voting, for example, was a better predictor of voting than believed political efficacy was. Nevertheless, situation-specific efficacy did not predict behavior to an overwhelming degree, accounting for only 10% of the variance on the average; hence, other factors must be considered when examining political or other behavior.