4 ms·

I don't think that necessarily works out, because uninformed is the default. It takes a considerable amount of effort to become informed, at least to a point w

by swalsh 8y ago

I don't think that necessarily works out, because uninformed is the default. It takes a considerable amount of effort to become informed, at least to a point where you can properly articulate the pros and cons of each "side". I'm not going to make assumptions about how the majority of people become informed, but from personal experience talking to friends, and friends of friends on facebook, I see people relying on heuristics such as who is funding which side more than putting forth an effort to read studies.

Spivak 8y ago
For things like ballot initiatives you have a point but for choosing candidates there's really not much to be informed about. You usually get the choice between two well credentialed politicians whose beliefs are and policy directions are almost entirely aligned with their party. And the gap between the parties is wide enough that just about everyone will strongly align with (or be repulsed by) one of them. So beyond the party heuristic it's not really surprising why people don't bother wasting the mental energy.