A Sociological Analysis of the Factors Influencing Political Orientations among Citizens of Ilam

Abstract

The present study aimed to sociologically examine the factors influencing the political orientations of citizens in Ilam County. Given the county’s cultural, social, and economic characteristics, identifying the factors shaping citizens’ political orientations is important for social analysis and local policymaking. In terms of purpose, this was an applied study, and in terms of methodology, it employed a descriptive, cross-sectional survey design. The statistical population comprised all citizens aged 18–65 years residing in Ilam County between March 21, 2025, and March 20, 2026, totaling 125,460 individuals. Of these, 383 participants were selected based on Cochran’s formula using proportionate stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire. Its validity was confirmed by a panel of experts, and its reliability was established through Cronbach’s alpha coefficients exceeding 0.70 for all constructs. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 3. The findings indicated that, among the demographic variables, educational attainment (β = 0.360), occupation (β = 0.330), and gender (β = 0.230) had significant effects on political orientations, whereas age (β = 0.042) had no significant effect. Furthermore, civic participation (β = 0.339), political participation (β = 0.682), political parties (β = 0.629), social status (β = 0.385), economic status (β = 0.571), religiosity (β = 0.711), social capital (β = 0.406), and social media (β = 0.443) all had positive and significant effects on the political orientations of Ilam citizens. Accordingly, the most influential factors, in descending order, were religiosity, political participation, political parties, economic status, social media, social capital, social status, and civic participation. Overall, the results demonstrate that the political orientations of Ilam citizens are primarily shaped by a combination of cultural, participatory, economic, and communicative factors. Among these, religiosity and various forms of political and social participation play particularly prominent roles. The nonsignificant effect of age also suggests that differences in political orientations within this population are influenced more strongly by structural and value-based variables than by generational differences alone.