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Why People Seem to Know So Little About Politics and What We Can Do About It

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Published in Uninformed: Why People Seem To Know So Little About Politics And What We Can Do About It

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In a world where politics seems to be more important than ever, it's alarming how little people seem to know about it. A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that only 30% of Americans can name the three branches of government. And a 2018 survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center found that only 25% of Americans can name the current Speaker of the House.

Uninformed: Why People Seem to Know So Little about Politics and What We Can Do about It

4 out of 5

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This lack of knowledge about politics is a serious problem. It makes it difficult for people to make informed decisions about who to vote for and what policies to support. It also makes it easier for politicians to mislead the public and get away with it.

So why do people seem to know so little about politics?

There are a number of factors that contribute to this problem, including:

Apathy: Many people simply don't care about politics. They see it as boring, irrelevant, or too complicated. This apathy is often the result of a lack of understanding about how politics works and how it affects their lives.
Education: Schools do not do a good job of teaching students about politics. Civics education is often neglected or taught in a dry and boring way. This makes it difficult for students to develop an interest in politics and to understand how it works.
Media: The media often focuses on the horse race aspects of politics rather than on the issues. This can lead people to believe that politics is all about personalities and scandals, rather than about important policy decisions.
Social media: Social media can be a great way to stay informed about politics. However, it can also be a source of misinformation and echo chambers. This can make it difficult for people to find accurate information about politics and to engage in meaningful conversations about it.

What can we do about it?

There are a number of things that we can do to improve people's knowledge about politics. These include:

Making civics education more engaging: Schools need to do a better job of teaching students about politics. This means making civics education more engaging and relevant to students' lives.
Improving media coverage of politics: The media needs to do a better job of covering the issues rather than focusing on the horse race aspects of politics. This means providing more in-depth coverage of policy decisions and giving more airtime to experts and analysts.
Encouraging people to engage in civil discourse: We need to encourage people to engage in civil discourse about politics. This means listening to other people's opinions, even if we don't agree with them, and trying to find common ground.
Promoting voter education: We need to do more to promote voter education. This means providing people with information about the candidates and the issues, and making it easier for people to register to vote and cast their ballots.

By taking these steps, we can help to improve people's knowledge about politics and make our democracy stronger.

The lack of knowledge about politics is a serious problem that has a number of negative consequences. However, there are a number of things that we can do to improve this situation. By making civics education more engaging, improving media coverage of politics, encouraging people to engage in civil discourse, and promoting voter education, we can help to create a more informed and engaged citizenry.

Uninformed: Why People Seem to Know So Little about Politics and What We Can Do about It

4 out of 5