Research articleOpen accessVol. 15, Issue 10, September 2026
- Received
- 15 September 2026
- Accepted
- 30 September 2026
- Published
- 30 September 2026
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
Abstract
— Social media now sits between citizens and their local governments, yet little is known about whether it makes those governments more accountable. This study looks at that question in four urban local bodies in northern India. A survey of 400 residents, carried out between January and April 2026, measured social media use intensity, perceived transparency, responsiveness of officials, citizen participation, exposure to misinformation, and perceived governance accountability. Together the predictors explained 58% of the variance in accountability (R² = .58, p < .001). Heavier social media use was linked to higher accountability scores (β = .17), and about two-thirds of its total effect ran through transparency, responsiveness, and participation. Exposure to misinformation pulled scores down (β = −.11). Responsiveness of officials mattered most of all. The findings suggest that social media helps local accountability mainly when officials answer what citizens post, and that false content and unequal access limit the gain.
Keywords: social media, local governance, accountability, transparency, citizen participation, misinformation, urban local bodies
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How to cite
Dr.Nikhat Khan (2026). Impact of Social Media on Local Governance Accountability in Politics. International Journal for Research in Education, 15(10).
Licence
This article is open access, published under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Copyright remains with the authors.