Political Ignorance Is No Bliss
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
By Ilya Somin
As we enter the home stretch of the 2004 presidential election, the majority of citizens remain ignorant about many of the issues at stake.
Surveys show that 70 percent of American adults don't know that Congress recently passed a prescription drug benefit (search) for seniors, even though the new law — projected to cost $500 billion over the next 10 years — is probably the most significant domestic legislation passed during the Bush administration.
More than 60 percent do not know that President Bush’s term has seen a massive increase in domestic spending, about 25 percent above previous levels, that has led to a major increase in the national debt.
And despite the extensive media attention focused on employment numbers, almost two-thirds of the public don’t know that there has been a net increase in jobs this year. Three quarters admit they know little or nothing about the USA Patriot Act (search) and 58 percent mistakenly believe that the Bush administration perceives a connection between Saddam Hussein and the Sept. 11 attacks.
However sad those results may be, they are not surprising. Decades of research show that most citizens know very little about politics and public policy. Ignorance goes beyond lack of awareness of specific issues. Even more alarming is that most citizens lack basic background knowledge about political leaders, parties and the structure of government.
