1. What do Americans Know about Politics? 74% can name the VP 70% can name their mayor 58% know that constitutionality is decided by the Supreme Court 55% can name at least one Senator 40% can name their congressional representative 34% can name the Secretary of State 25% can name the Speaker of the House 8% can name the Chief Justice of the U.S.

2. Rational Ignorance Anthony Downs Benefit I > Cost I Where “I” is gathering and learning political information

3. Levels of Conceptualization Ideologues – Rely on abstract ideological concepts to make judgments about political objects. Near-Ideologues – Use ideological terminology, but don’t always use it correctly Group Interest – Evaluate political objects with respect to their treatment of particular groups Nature of the Times – Evaluations of candidates and parties are tied to general perceptions about how things are going. No Issue Content – Focus on personalities or family traditions without any evidence of political thinking.

4. Converse’s 1964 Study of Belief Systems Constraint –Attitudes are linked to each other –One attitude can be predicted from another The Studies –Asked opinions of the day –Asked likes and dislikes about parties and candidates –Survey of candidates for Congress - 1958

5. Looking for Evidence of Political Ideology Active use of ideological concepts in likes and dislikes of candidates and parties Issue attitudes that are consistently liberal or conservative Attitudes that are stable over time

6. Converse’s Findings regarding Constraint DomesticForeignIssues and Party Elites.53.37.39 Mass Public.23.11

7. Ideological Evaluation of Parties 1952-1972

8. Ideological Evaluation of Candidates 1952-1972

9. Changing Levels of Educational Attainment

10. Levels of Conceptualization by Education