To the Point
How Informed (or Uninformed) Are American Voters?
Classic studies dating back to the 1950's and 60's reveal that Americans are unsophisticated when it comes to issues or ideology. Their votes are determined "more by faith than conviction" and "by wishful expectation rather than careful prediction of consequences." What does that mean for the quality of their decisions in presidential elections?
By Warren Olney • • 1 min readClassic studies dating back to the 1950's and 60's reveal that Americans are unsophisticated when it comes to issues or ideology. Their votes are determined "more by faith than conviction" and "by wishful expectation rather than careful prediction of consequences." What does that mean for the quality of their decisions in presidential elections? In a country with universal suffrage, aren't these are important questions? Larry Bartels directs the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics at Princeton University.
The full episode
3 of 3
An Early Start for Voting and Election Day Headaches- 1:47Final Day Has Obama with a Strong Lead in the Polls
- 7:48Election Day Headaches Are Starting Early This Year
- 44:01How Informed (or Uninformed) Are American Voters?You’re reading this
The full episode
3 of 3An Early Start for Voting and Election Day Headaches- 1:47Final Day Has Obama with a Strong Lead in the Polls
- 7:48Election Day Headaches Are Starting Early This Year
- 44:01How Informed (or Uninformed) Are American Voters?You’re reading this