Two Pathways to Political Participation. Revisiting the Gamson Hypothesis in Adolescents in the Context of the Chilean Social Outburst

Abstract

This article revisits William Gamson's classic hypothesis by examining how combinations of political self-efficacy and institutional trust shape adolescent political participation in Chile. Using survey data from 1316 adolescents interviewed around the onset of the 2019 estallido social , we distinguish between conventional and disruptive repertoires of action and a digitally mediated domain of participation. The results provide partial support for Gamson's argument. Dissidents – those with high efficacy and low institutional trust – are the most strongly associated with disruptive participation and high levels of online engagement, whereas Assureds – those with high efficacy and high trust – are more strongly associated with conventional participation. We also show that the estallido social did not simply increase or decrease participation overall. Rather, it reordered participatory repertoires in ways that reflected pre-existing combinations of efficacy and trust. The findings highlight the continued relevance of Gamson's framework under contemporary conditions of youth mobilisation and institutional distrust.