As one of the indispensable contents in youth ideological and political education, the digital dissemination mechanism of red culture has become a research hotspot. The study constructs a model of factors influencing the digital dissemination mechanism of red culture in youth ideological and political education through structural equation modeling and establishes relevant hypotheses. The basic information of the respondents and the information on the cognitive situation of the audience’s digital dissemination of red culture are collected through questionnaires. Analyze the correlation between each influencing factor and the effect of digital communication in red culture using the Pearson correlation coefficient method. The proposed hypotheses are verified through structural equations, and the mediating effect between each influencing factor and the communication effect is analyzed in depth. Finally, based on the results of empirical analysis, the digital dissemination mechanism of red culture in youth ideological education is clarified. Red culture short videos (76.40%), digital museum type WeChat applets or APPs (73.03%), and red culture related documentaries (63.15%) are the top three ways for audiences to access digital red culture. The art and music categories of red culture leave the deepest impression on audiences. There is a significant correlation between the audience’s personal attributes, interest in red culture, government policies, cultural environment, media environment, media technology, communication content, communication talents, and communication effects. Audience personal attributes, interest in red culture, government policy, cultural environment, media environment, media technology, communication content, and communication talents all have a direct impact on the digital communication effect of red culture in youth ideological education.