From prosocial civic values to online prosocial participation: the roles of self-efficacy, moral responsibility, and public-issue exposure.

INTRODUCTION: Digital platforms have become important spaces for young people's public expression, mutual support, and civic engagement, yet less is known about how prosocial civic values are translated into online prosocial participation. This study aimed to examine the psychological mechanisms and contextual activation conditions linking prosocial civic value orientation to online prosocial participation among college students. METHODS: Using questionnaire data from 559 college students in China, this study employed structural equation modeling to test a moderated mediation model, with online prosocial self-efficacy and moral responsibility as mediating variables and Public-issue exposure frequency as a moderating variable. RESULTS: The results showed that prosocial civic value orientation significantly and positively predicted online prosocial participation. Online prosocial self-efficacy and moral responsibility partially mediated this relationship, while public-issue exposure frequency significantly strengthened the positive association between prosocial civic value orientation and online prosocial participation. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that online prosocial participation is shaped by the joint effects of value endorsement, psychological transformation, and digital contextual activation, providing empirical evidence for digital citizenship education in higher education.