low infirmation voters

Letter from the South

Among America’s “Low-Information Voters”

Author: Charles Bethea
Date: August 22, 2024
Illustration by: Patrick Leger

Introduction
  • The piece focuses on the political dynamics among low-information voters in America, particularly in rural and conservative areas
  • It highlights the case of Monica Sheppard, a resident of Rome, Georgia, who runs a bee-themed arts-and-crafts shop and engages with the political landscape despite differing opinions with her friends.
Monica Sheppard’s Experience
  • Location: Rome, Georgia
  • Demographics: Right-leaning, rural, poor, intensely conservative community.
  • Political Engagement: Sheppard, at fifty-seven, is occasionally a reader of the New York Times and engages in political discussions, despite her friends being less informed.
  • Facebook Interactions:
    • Concerned about the spread of misinformation via memes.
    • An encounter with a Facebook friend, Scott, reveals the tendency of using social media as a primary information source.
    • Example of Misinformation:
    • Scott shared a meme stating, “Another major American franchise bites the dust,” related to Chili’s restaurant closures, citing a YouTube source suggesting multiple restaurant chains were on the endangered list.
    • Sheppard’s Response: Conducted a quick Google search to debunk the meme, pointing out that fewer than twenty locations were closing instead of implying widespread closures.
Discussion of Political Beliefs
  • Responses from Friends:
    • Scott expressed skepticism about the traditional sources Sheppard suggested and leaned towards common sense-based understanding of economic issues.
    • Topics of discussion included the perceived impacts of Biden’s administration on the economy.
Poll Results on News Consumption
  • In April, NBC News conducted a poll with a thousand respondents indicating:
    • Biden favored by those reading newspapers and mainstream sites.
    • Trump led among social media users, cable news consumers, and YouTube watchers.
    • Dominance of Trump among low-information voters highlighted.
Definitions and Characteristics of Low-Information Voters
  • David Schleicher, Yale Law Professor: Defines low-information voter in terms of ignorance but notes:
    • Gaps in basic political knowledge exist among various demographics, including educated individuals.
    • They have fewer observations about politics to inform their voting choices.
  • Joshua Kalla, Political Science Professor at Yale:
    • Acknowledges low-information is not necessarily problematic if voters focus on issues relevant to their interests.
    • Cites difficulty in finding reliable information in a changeable media landscape.
    • Advocates that what matters is being informed on issues that personally matter.
Media Influence on Political Knowledge
  • Decline in traditional newspaper readership correlates with decreased split-ticket voting; heightened political partisanship ensues.
  • Cable News:
    • Tends to provide less nuanced information compared to traditional journalism.
Behavioral Patterns Among Low-Information Voters
  • Voting Behavior:
    • Low-information voters tend to vote primarily in Presidential elections and are often inconsistent in their overall political participation.
    • Trends show they used to be evenly distributed between political parties; recent shifts indicate a drift towards right-wing preferences, particularly towards Trump.
  • Influence of Stereotypes:
    • Young, low-information voters are likely to embrace stereotypes and are less likely to fact-check political assertions.
Psychological Measures Related to Political Engagement
  • Richard Fording, University of Alabama, discusses:
    • The “need for cognition” scale impacts voter behavior by indicating that low-need-for-cognition voters show less inclination to seek alternative viewpoints and are more reliant on trusted individuals for information.
    • Correlation with Support for Trump:
      • Trump’s appeal to low-information, low-need-for-cognition voters highlighted through increased support during the 2016 elections.
Historical Context and Current Implications
  • Importance of understanding misinformation trends in political landscapes
  • Lower-information voters represent critical numbers that can sway election outcomes, such as a one or two-point difference in favors crucial in elections.
Local Perspectives on Information and Voting
  • Jan Pourquoi:
    • A carpet factory owner in Dalton, Georgia, offers a critique of increasing misinformation spread among voters and shares experiences of how false claims (like COVID vaccine side effects) circulate in everyday conversations.
Informal Political Gatherings and Attitudes
  • Observations from discussions in locales like Walmart and Kroger highlight a mismatch between news consumption and political knowledge in potential voters.
Personal Stories Reflecting Diverse Views
  • Michael Faulk:
    • Submits numerous opinion pieces expressing conspiracy-driven political views, showing disconnect with factual reporting.
    • Draws from conservative literature to frame his perspectives on current political figures.
Conclusion
  • The discussions indicate a growing divide in political discourse, complicated by varied information sources, leading to a landscape in which misinformation flourishes among certain voting demographics.