Dr. Arthur Lupia, Author Interview: Uniformed: Why People Know So Little About Politics and What We Can Do About It
“Voter ignorance is notorious and well-documented, but merely throwing more facts at voters is not enough. In this capstone work, political scientist Arthur Lupia synthesizes years of work with scientists and educators in all arenas to figure out how to increase issue competence among voters.”
Welcome to the Not Old Better Show, I’m your host, Paul Vogelzang.
Citizens appear to know very little about politics and government. When asked simple questions on these topics, millions of people give incorrect answers. “Who is your US senator, or, who holds the majority in the house of representatives.” Often voters give no answers at all to these and other civics questions. Given this state of affairs, it is not surprising that experts often deride the public for its ignorance and low voter turnout.
Our guest expert today is Dr. Arthur Lupia is the Hal R. Varian Collegiate Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan. He serves on advisory boards for several science communication endeavors, including the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education at the National Academy of Science and Climate Central. He is also Chair of the American Political Science Association Task Force on Improving Public Engagement, and despite all that’s available on line and elsewhere, Dr Lupia will tell us how to cut through.
We have a lagging interest in politics. At least some of us do. But, during this election season, it means a great deal to be informed and Dr. Lupia will share with our Not Old Better audience what’s going on and what he means by “un-informed.”
Please join me in welcoming Arthur Lupia, Ph D, to the Not Old Better Show.