The influence of ideological and political education identification on college students' sense of social responsibility.

This study investigates the mechanisms through which ideological and political education identification influences university students' social responsibility. Drawing on value internalization theory and prosocial behavior perspectives, this research proposes a conceptual model in which ideological and political education identification affects social responsibility through the mediating roles of social empathy and altruistic motivation, with collectivism orientation acting as a moderating variable. A quantitative survey was conducted among undergraduate students in Mainland China, and a total of 530 valid responses were collected. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that ideological and political education identification has a significant positive effect on social responsibility. Social empathy and altruistic motivation both play significant mediating roles in this relationship. In addition, collectivism orientation negatively moderates the relationship between altruistic motivation and social responsibility. These findings suggest that the development of social responsibility among university students is shaped by a combination of value identification, emotional processes, motivational mechanisms, and cultural context. This study contributes to the literature by proposing an integrated framework explaining how ideological identification translates into socially responsible behavior among university students. The findings also provide practical implications for higher education institutions seeking to cultivate students' civic responsibility and social engagement.