Influence of Social Cohesion, Community Participation, and Organizational Image on Rural Youth Engagement in Development Programs: The Mediating Role of Organizational Trust in Pakistan

Abstract

Rural youth engagement is essential for the success and sustainability of community development initiatives. However, many development programs in Pakistan face challenges in attracting and retaining active youth participation, limiting their long-term effectiveness and impact. While previous studies have highlighted the importance of community dynamics and organizational factors in fostering engagement, limited research has examined how sociological and marketing-related factors jointly influence rural youth involvement through organizational trust. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of social cohesion, community participation, and organizational image on rural youth engagement in development programs, with organizational trust serving as a mediating variable. A quantitative cross-sectional research design was employed. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire from 450 rural youth participating in development programs across rural areas of Punjab, Pakistan. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was utilized to assess the measurement model, examine the hypothesized relationships, and test the mediating role of organizational trust. Furthermore, organizational trust had a significant positive effect on rural youth engagement and partially mediated the relationships between the independent variables and engagement