Americans' Knowledge of Ideology, 1980-1992

Abstract

This article uses recent National Election Studies to assess what Americans know about ideology. Although Converse's study of mass belief systems made knowledge of ideological terms an indicator of ideological sophistication, scholars have tended to ignore what ordinary citizens know about ideology. Although only a small portion of the public is completely ignorant of ideology, most Americans do not know very much about it. Three factors—opportunity, motivation, and cognitive ability—affect what people know about the central continuum of U.S. politics. Widespread ignorance of ideology impedes citizens' ability to link their own ideological orientations to their votes for presidential candidates.