The Importance of an Educated Public

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The Importance of an Educated Public

• Thomas Jefferson said Educate and inform the
  whole mass of the people... They are the only
  sure reliance for the preservation of our
  liberty If a nation expects to be ignorant and
  free, in a state of civilization, it expects what
  never was and never will be

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Pew Research

• Since the late 1980s, the emergence of 24-hour
  cable news as a dominant news source and the
  explosive growth of the internet have led to
  major changes in the American public's news
  habits. But a new nationwide survey finds that
  the coaxial and digital revolutions and attendant
  changes in news audience behaviors have had
  little impact on how much Americans know about
  national and international affairs
  http//people-press.org/report/319/public-knowledg
  e-of-current-affairs-little-changed-by-news-and-in
  formation-revolutions
•  

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Pew Research Cont.
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Pew Research Cont.
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Pew Research Cont.
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Population

• N 238
• Male 97
• Female 139
• Age 70 18-21, 14 22-25

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Who Voted and for Who

• Male 59.8 voted
• Female 71.2 voted
• Male - 65 for McCain
• Female 57 for Obama

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Political Knowledge

• Male 58 knowledgeable
• Female 41 knowledgeable

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Compared to Parents

• Male 47 more liberal and 42 more conservative
• Female 70 more liberal and 26 more
  conservative

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Maximum of Federal Income Tax

• 1-10 - 41.2
• 11-20 - 31.5
• 31-30 - 13.3
• Current top rate is 36.9, about to go up to 39.9

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Liberal v. Conservative

• VL L Mod C VC
• Male 5.2 13.4 38 31 10.3
• Female 9.4 24.5 44 15 5

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Optimistic about Future

• As a group they were somewhat optimistic about
  Americas future, and much more optimistic about
  their personal future.
• Females were slightly more optimistic about their
  personal future

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Political Knowledge

• 84 knew there were three branches of government
• 10.5 knew there were 435 in the House of
  Representatives
• 37.8 knew there were 100 US Senators

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Political Knowledge

• 20.2 could name one Georgia Senator
• 7.6 knew both
• 21.4 knew there were nine Supreme Court Justices
• 5.5 could name one justice
• One student named four

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Political Knowledge

• 58.3 could name Commander in Chief
• 8.8 could name Sec of Treasury
• 38.2 knew Hillary was Sec of State
• 68.8 knew who was VP

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Political Knowledge

• 2.1 knew of electoral votes
• 10 knew approximate amount of 783B
• bailout

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Obama v. McCain Voters

• On percentage of federal income tax McCain voters
  were for lower taxes, but not significantly
• On political philosophy Obama voters were more
  liberal with statistically significance .000

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Obama v. McCain Voters

• Obama voters were more optimistic about both
  their personal futures and the nations futures,
  but not significantly

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Obama v. McCain Voters

• McCain voters were slightly more knowledgeable
  than Obama voters on House and Senate info
• and on Supreme Court numbers

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Obama v. McCain Voters

• Obama voters were more knowledgeable on who was
  Commander in Chief, Sec. of Treasury, Sec of
  State, and VP, but not dramatically

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Conclusion

• How much do they know?
• How do they compare to the general public,
  probably about the same

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Future Research

• Compare their attitudes on taxes with actual tax
  brackets
• Compare Democrats and Republicans with their
  chosen party's platforms

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We Need

• A politically knowledgeable voting public