A Jeffersonian Vision

Carpini's "In Search of the Informed Citizen: What Americans Know About Politics and Why it Matters" provided a much needed positive outlook on democracy in the United States. The people need to feel as though they are making progress, that they are being rewarded for their efforts. We, as a society, are no worse off than we were fifty years ago, despite arguments to the contrary. Carpini feels that, "democracy becomes more responsive and more responsible the more informed, and the more equitably informed, is its citizenry" (133). However, the population as a whole should not be discouraged by the statistics Schudson and other such authors have presented in the past. It is not the case that the United States is only as strong as its weakest link when it comes to political participation. On the contrary, it is the case that, under certain conditions, the informed population makes up for what the uninformed population lacks. The discrepancy between the two groups may be large, but most citizens fall somewhere in the middle. Therefore, there is obviously room for improvement, as society as a whole is clearly capable of becoming informed and subsequently participatory on some level given a proper education and motivation. In fact, Americans proved to be informed when it came to matters concerning the actual concepts of primary elections, key social conditions, etc.; in other words, the population is actually educated on a very basic, yet vital level. Such is "evidence perhaps of an under-informed public, but not of an uninformed one" (136).

The major distinction between an informed citizen and an under-informed or uninformed citizen comes down to education, and more importantly motivation. Without a proper education, it would be unreasonable to expect an individual to be a functioning member of society. The standard for the informed citizen is, as Schudson points out, unrealistic due to natural tendencies. Some people are not afforded the same opportunities as others, and such is life. However, disadvantages in education can be overcome through motivation; a motivation that begins with reading a newspaper, and ends with full fledged participation in elections, etc. Carpini argues, "Too often "the citizenry" is described in monolithic terms. The evidence suggests, however, that there are dramatic differences in how informed Americans are" (140). While I am inclined to agree, I do not believe that individual differences in participation among citizens are the root of the problem. It is certainly an important distinction to acknowledge, but it does not account for a solution. For Carpini, it would seem as though increased educational opportunities could seemingly solve for the lack of an informed citizenry. However, I do not find this to be the case. Some people are just not interested in politics, no matter how much they do or do not believe their one "vote" will actually count. Individuals are actually content with their lives and do not see the need to change their situation. For those who are not content, however, it should be their responsibility to engage in political discourse. This is not to say that it is not one's civic duty to be politically aware, but to be politically inclined is to have an inherent liking for the political sphere itself. Most Americans, unfortunately, try to steer clear of political conversation because it is riddled with conflicting opinions and subsequently makes for uncomfortable situations. I say unfortunately largely due to the belief that "informed citizens are "better" citizens in a number of ways" (142). For the most part, that is, in fact, the case. Yet, that is not to say that the majority of citizens today are uninformed, as Carpini argues. He has a very positive outlook on the American public as it pertains to democracy. In fact, "Research suggests that even elites such as foreign policy makers make decisions under conditions of imperfect information and use heuristics in making decisions" (146). While that may not be very comforting, it affirms the notion that nobody is perfect; therefore, it would be unfair to expect every individual to be perfect with respect to their duties as a member of society. Some individuals do not have the means by which to acquire information, at which point it is up to those who are more informed to bridge the gap between political competence and seemingly social ignorance.

Overall, I found Carpini's literature to be extremely articulate, in that he addressed all aspects of his argument from both sides. At times, it was more or less embarrassing to discover just how uninformed, or under-informed, some Americans actually are. But is that truly their fault? It really is the luck of the draw when it comes to opportunity, and a lack of it is exactly where we need to begin in order to address such issues. Reaching out to those who are less fortunate seems like a foolproof way to increase political awareness. Yet, at the same time, Carpini is very adamant about supporting our current status as a more or less educated population. He does not want to discount how far we have come, only encourage us to improve upon our already successful democratic regime. "[S]hort-term patterns suggest that, given the right mix of ability, opportunity, and motivation, citizens are capable of significant political learning. This, coupled with the strong and significant relationship between socioeconomic status, the political and information environment, and political knowledge levels, strongly suggests the potential for improvement" (155). When it comes down to it, it is truly the case that we as a society hold the metaphorical key to our own democratic destiny.