Theories of political behavior, as an aspect of political science, attempt to quantify and explain the influences that define a person's political views, ideology, and levels of political participation. Broadly speaking, behavior is political whenever individuals or groups try to influence or escape the influence of others.
When citizens have low efficacy, they do not have faith in their government and do not believe that their actions affect the government and the actions of their political leaders. When citizens have high efficacy, they have faith in their government and believe that they have the ability to influence political leaders and affect the government. There are multiple ways in which citizens' political efficacy can be expressed: through the media, by having the right to protest, by being able to create petitions, and by having free and fair elections.
