How the Governance Effectiveness of New Rural Elites Contributes to the Evaluation of Rural Revitalization Outcomes: Evidence from 1302 Samples in China

New rural elites are an important endogenous force in promoting the modernization of rural governance and realizing rural revitalization. However, how their governance effectiveness translates into villagers’ recognition of rural revitalization strategies remains underexplored through systematic empirical testing. Based on data from the 2025 Chinese Social Governance Survey (CSGS), including 1302 samples, this study uses OLS models and mediation analysis to empirically examine the mechanism by which the governance effectiveness of new rural elites influences the evaluation of rural revitalization outcomes. The findings show that the governance effectiveness of new rural elites has a significant positive impact on villagers’ evaluations of rural revitalization outcomes. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that this positive effect is particularly pronounced in western regions, among middle-aged individuals, those with higher educational attainment, and Communist Party of China members. Mechanism analysis indicates that both the governance process and governance outcomes mediate the relationship between new rural elites’ governance effectiveness and the evaluation of rural revitalization outcomes, forming a serial mediation pathway in which the quality of the governance process plays a more pivotal role. This study explores how new rural elites influence villagers’ evaluations of rural revitalization outcomes through governance mechanisms, providing empirical evidence and policy insights to optimize the participation mechanisms of new rural elites and enhance the effectiveness of rural governance.