Difference without Distinction: Political Awareness and Public Opinion in the United States

Abstract: Scholars and pundits have long questioned the ability of the least politically aware to receive and respond to relevant political information. I argue, however, that for most issues we should expect even least politically attentive to systematically respond to relevant political infor-mation. The analysis evaluates attitudes toward Vietnam and defense spending preferences—two issues where political awareness is thought to matter most (Zaller 1992, Bartels 1994)—using sub-aggregate and individual level data at monthly and annual intervals. The results strongly support the claim that the least informed respond to changes in elite discourse. Furthermore, the claims in this paper appear to generalize to other issues, such as trust in government and the most important problem facing the country. The theory and findings offer a new understanding of how political awareness influences (or does not influence) how citizens update their opinions