I posted something similar on the author’s site, but I wonder if this is just “revealed preference.” Perhaps people don’t really care nearly as much about the

I posted something similar on the author’s site, but I wonder if this is just “revealed preference.” Perhaps people don’t really care nearly as much about the outcome of elections as they say they do. I think most people suspect the outcome of an election won’t affect their lives nearly as dramatically as people claim, there’s too much inertia in the system. Also, maybe, just maybe, people are subconsciously more intellectually humble than they let on, and realize that predictions about the impact of policy and elections are notoriously unreliable. Taking a political position can serve to identify yourself with a certain social group, or as part of your personal identity, or if you are feeling somewhat metaphysical it can indicate the structure of your ethical system. In all of those cases there is no need to actually spend money to achieve the goal. If I am an “Apple person” I need to spend $1,000 on a phone to demonstrate this. But if I’m a Sanders supporter I can do all this signaling by expressing outrage on Facebook and at dinner parties without spending a dime. If this theory is correct, a political movement that could somehow get people to feel they have to contribute money to be a “real” supporter with associated social status would be drowning in contributions.