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Chapter 14 - Americans’ Lack of Political Beliefs and the Consequences for Democracy

from Economics and Politics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2022

By
Yalidy Matos  and
Katherine McCabe
Edited by
Julien Musolino ,
Joseph Sommer  and
Pernille Hemmer
Julien Musolino
Affiliation:
Rutgers University, New Jersey
Joseph Sommer
Affiliation:
Rutgers University, New Jersey
Pernille Hemmer
Affiliation:
Rutgers University, New Jersey
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Summary

Democracy requires factual information and an attentive electorate. The electorate are a key part of a functioning democracy, where they choose between candidates, parties, and policies based on their own political beliefs, which are influenced by information. Because the world of politics is complex, human beings are bounded in their capabilities for decision making and must develop strategies to navigate through an overwhelming amount of political information to form beliefs and make decisions. Political belief systems – or “ideologies” – help people organize this complex political world. However, a large portion of the American public do not have a coherent political belief system, and instead rely on cues and elites to make decisions and form attitudes on the issues of the day. This kind of reliance is efficient, but can also lead people to become vulnerable to mis- and disinformation, fake news, conspiracy theories, and extreme polarization, which can have detrimental consequences for democracy.

Keywords

political beliefsideologydemocracymisinformationfake newsconspiracypartisan bias
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cognitive Science of Belief
A Multidisciplinary Approach
 , pp. 298 - 320
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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