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Assistant Professor of Law Ilya Somin recently published a study on political ignorance which looks at some critical statistics on voter knowledge of politics and participation in elections. The study is: When Ignorance Isn't Bliss: How Political Ignorance Threatens Democracy, Policy Analysis No. 525 (Cato Institute, Sept. 22, 2004). In addition, on October 26, 2004, Professor Somin discussed aspects of his research in an event sponsored by the Cato Institute. Video and audio versions of the discussion entitled "What's Wrong With the Voters?" are available online. With the current elections and the focus on the undecided voter, Professor Somin's study has received national news coverage.
In the published paper, Somin writes that "voter ignorance poses a serious danger to American democracy," and there is "overwhelming evidence that the American electorate fails to meet even minimal criteria for adequate voter knowledge." He concludes that "close to one-third of Americans can be categorized as 'know-nothings' almost completely ignorant of relevant political information." In an interview with Ken Herman of Cox News Service, Somin discusses the significant overlap between the undecideds and the uninformeds and explains that "I think it is possible to reach out to the undecideds, but it is difficult because they pay less attention in general than people who are strongly identified with one side or another."
Following is an overview of the study, taken from its executive summary:
Democracy demands an informed electorate. Voters who lack adequate knowledge about politics will find it difficult to control public policy. Inadequate voter knowledge prevents government from reflecting the will of the people in any meaningful way. Such ignorance also raises doubts about democracy as a means of serving the interests of a majority. Voters who lack sufficient knowledge may be manipulated by elites. They may also demand policies that contravene their own interests.
The American electorate does not have adequate knowledge for voters to control public policy. Scholars have long documented the limits of voter knowledge about the institutions and policies of the government. That ignorance is not a moral failing. The rational voter has little incentive to gain more knowledge about politics because his or her vote is unlikely to affect the outcome. Since gaining more knowledge offers few benefits and substantial costs, the average citizen remains ignorant, though rationally so. Some scholars have argued that citizens use "shortcuts" to gain enough knowledge to participate in self-government. The evidence does not support the "shortcut" argument.