Work

Informed or Overwhelmed? Disentangling the Effects of Cognitive Ability and Information on Public Opinion

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Received wisdom in political science holds that informed citizens are better able to develop coherent, stable policy preferences. However, past research fails to differentiate between the effects of information and cognitive ability. I show that, for people with low levels of ability, consuming more political information predicts lower levels of ideological constraint and response stability. This effect is driven by relatively technical issues, suggesting that attempts to inform the electorate may backfire by overwhelming some voters. More broadly, these results suggest that an increasingly saturated information environment may exacerbate, rather than ameliorate, differences in political sophistication.

Source: British Journal of Political Science

DOI: 10.1017/s0007123425000055

Author: Adam R. Panish

Institution: Stony Brook University

Language: English

Topic: Electoral Systems and Political Participation

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,550

OpenAlex ID: W4409174142