A Reflection Regarding Political Awareness
While enrolled in a U.S. Government and Politics course at Salt Lake Community College, a poll was conducted to test the political knowledge of the students in attendance. To my dismay, many of my colleagues were shockingly unaware of fundamental aspects of the political process—including students that did not know who the President of the United States of America is. At this revelation, I was taken aback—aghast at the profound lack of basic and even perfunctory political knowledge that is present within the general population. As the questions in the poll shifted towards local government, the number of students correctly responding to the questions dwindled to an abysmal number. The people that were present during my time in the classroom were largely unaware of how decisions regarding their lives are made—and who was making them. I found this to be rather striking; and would likely find the phenomenon fascinating—if not for its horrific implications. Given the severity and compounding nature of this particular brand of ignorance (common to contemporary American society), I felt compelled to author the following piece of writing—which not only analyzes the results of the poll itself, but also includes my personal views and reflections upon the matter.
Political Attitude Analysis
At the beginning of the semester, my classmates and I were asked to fill out a brief survey regarding both our general political knowledge, and our attitudes towards various controversial topics. In my analysis of the results of this poll, I have taken particular notice of the fact that many of the people registered for the course were shockingly uninformed about the composition of our electorate body. Although he is currently in the midst of his second term in office, only eighty-six percent of respondents knew the name of the President of the United States of America. As the questionnaire progresses towards the microcosm of local government, the number of correct responses drops dramatically. The majority of respondents reported that they considered themselves to be liberal-minded—with an order of magnitude five times that of those who considered themselves to be conservative. However, it is my belief that the truth of the matter lies somewhere in the middle.
When asked a number of questions (the answers to which help us to better understand the political ideologies of the participants), the survey population is generally described by two non-mutually-exclusive descriptions—social liberal and fiscal conservative. That is to say, the survey classified the respondents as both socially progressive and financially conservative. When asked about social issues (such as immigration policy, same-sex marriage, and universal healthcare), the majority indicated that their attitudes were more progressive in nature. The only question that was primarily social in its implications that was not responded to in such a manner was that of firearms. The respondents overwhelmingly reported their belief that citizens should be allowed to keep and bear arms. Of course, one could argue that the state in which the survey was conducted (and presumably where most of the courses attendees developed their opinions regarding social issues) leans heavily in favor of firearms—and does little-to-nothing to restrict their distribution and sale (there is, for example, no waiting period in the State of Utah—and it is legal to transfer a firearm to another private citizen without gathering any information of any kind from them or their passing a background check).
However, when asked about fiscal issues, like whether the United States government should implement additional tax-cuts in an attempt to stimulate the economy, the majority of respondents reported that they would be in favor of such actions. This indicates a generalized attitude of fiscal conservatism throughout the sample population. Additionally, this indicates a more “Smith-oriented” approach to economic thought—as opposed to a Keynesian model of economics. While there was no survey question regarding the stimulation of the economy due to government spending, it is my belief that the majority would likely have perceived this as so much “government-pork”—and would have stated their objection to such a policy if asked. On a personal level, I find this somewhat curious as many of the core principles behind the Keynesian economic model were actually pioneered and implemented by Utah’s own Marriner S. Eccles years before John Maynard Keynes.
Although the political ideologies of the survey population are unlikely to change in any profound way, I believe that many of these students will and have had their understanding of the political process expanded greatly throughout the duration of this course. As these students become more aware of their role in the electoral and political systems, they are more likely to engage in these systems in a meaningful way—with the prerequisite foundational knowledge that is necessary to enact their opinions and views of the world within the current political system. This serves to better the society in which we live. As more people become engaged in the political process, the views and ideologies of the American population will become more accurately represented throughout the body of elected representatives—helping to ensure that our society is governed in such a way as to please its constituents. As our desires and priorities are made clear to these representatives through an active and informed voting body, the benefits of such actions are both obvious and enormous.
clayboitnott 