The Effects of an Ignorant Public on Democracy

By definition, democracy is public opinion. In a true democracy, the public decides what the government can and cannot do. They help make the law, decisions, and policies that effect the nation. This sounds great on paper; but what happens when the “public” have no clue what is really going on in the world? How can uninformed people make rational appropriate decisions? Most Americans do not have opinions about current issues (does not affect me attitude), lack of knowledge about issues/policies, or they simply jump on the bandwagon with what their friends or the popular opinion is.
Political culture is an overall set of values widely shared within a society. The American political culture is composed of three main components: core beliefs, political attitudes, and public opinion. Core beliefs are the views individuals hold to be true about society whether in the economy, politics, or everyday life. Most people believe that killing is wrong or that everyone should be entitled to individualism. These are core beliefs. Core beliefs affect our political attitudes. Political attitudes are what the individual believes about political issues, policies, candidates and current officials. They in turn determine how individuals participate in politics, who they vote for, and what political parties they support. (pg. 146)
What the public thinks about a particular issue or set of issues at any point in time is public opinion. It can also be described as the point of view held by a significant number of people on political matters. Although the definition is simple enough, public opinion encompasses the attitudes of millions of diverse people from many racial, ethnic, age, and regional groups. More than one public opinion can exist at the s...

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...ople to take care of themselves and work for what they have. Plus there is no guarantee that a Republican official will never vote in favor of a liberal issue, or vice versa for Democrats.
Americans select leaders, but do they do so wisely? How can people if they know little about candidates’ issues. People vote more for performance than policy. Americans learn about politics through political socialization, especially family, school and mass media. Public opinion polls help politicians detect public preferences, but polls can make politicians think more about following than leading the public. The American nation is made up of immigrants whose culture can affect their beliefs, attitudes and opinions. Because American society is ethnically diverse and changing, this “melting pot” of cultures, ideas, and people has shaped the political system into what it is today.