Survey: Bush supporters mis- or uninformed

[Gentle Giant]

Suddenly it all seems clearer to me....

Divide seen in voter knowledge
By Alan Wirzbicki, Globe Correspondent *|* October 22, 2004

WASHINGTON -- Supporters of President Bush are less knowledgeable about the president's foreign policy positions and are more likely to be mistaken about factual issues in world affairs than voters who back John F. Kerry, a survey released yesterday indicated.

A large majority of self-identified Bush voters polled believe Saddam Hussein provided "substantial support" to Al Qaeda, and 47 percent believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction before the US invasion. Among the president's supporters, 57 percent queried think international public opinion favors Bush's reelection, and 51 percent believe that most Islamic countries support "US-led efforts to fight terrorism."

No weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq, the Sept. 11 Commission found no evidence of substantial Iraqi support for Al Qaeda, and international public opinion polls have shown widespread opposition to Bush's reelection.

In contrast, among Kerry supporters polled only 26 percent think Iraq had such weapons, 30 percent say Iraq was linked to Al Qaeda, and 1 percent said foreign public opinion favors Bush.

The polls results, said Steven Kull, the head of the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, which conducted the survey, showed that Americans are so polarized two weeks before the election that many lack even a common understanding of the facts.

"It is rather unique the extent to which we have different perceptions of reality," Kull said.

On other international issues, the survey found that around 70 percent of Bush supporters responding believe that the president supports participation in the land mine treaty and the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty, and a narrower majority believes he supports the International Criminal Court and Kyoto Accords. In fact, Bush opposes all four treaties.

Kerry supporters correctly identified their candidate's position on every foreign policy issue in the survey except defense spending. Only 43 percent of the Democrat's supporters know he wants to keep the Pentagon budget at the same level rather than cut or expand it.

The survey was conducted in three waves, Sept. 3-7, Sept. 8-12, and Oct. 12-18, by the polling firm Knowledge Networks. The poll's margin of error is between 3.2 and 4 percent.

Kull said it is common for voters to tailor their views on particular issues to those of the candidate they favor overall, but the extent to which Bush supporters are filtering out news from Iraq that might reflect poorly on the president is unprecedented.

According to the survey, the difference doesn't reflect lack of access to information about Iraq.

The poll found that perceptions did not vary significantly by level of education among those who plan to vote for Bush.

And many of the Bush voters surveyed knew that the Duelfer report said Hussein had no WMDs, but continue to believe that he did regardless.

Kull suggested the dissonance among Bush voters reflects the country's difficulty coming to grips with the discrediting of the rationale for the Iraq war.

"This period will really stand out as when the US went to war on assumptions that turned out to be incorrect," he said. "The body politic is still struggling to come to terms with that."*

[patricia]

[QUOTE=Gentle Giant]

Kull said it is common for voters to tailor their views on particular issues to those of the candidate they favor overall, but the extent to which Bush supporters are filtering out news from Iraq that might reflect poorly on the president is unprecedented.

According to the survey, the difference doesn't reflect lack of access to information about Iraq.

QUOTE]


Those two paragraphs were the most disturbing in the entire item, IMO.
They "like" Bush and nothing can be said to change their minds. In fact, there are those who simply tune out criticism of their guy. I was astounded when "Fahrenheit 9/11 came to Bush's area of Texas that people actually said that they didn't want to see a film which criticized their President. How can they make an informed choice, if they only look at one side. To confirm that their choice is the right one, wouldn't it make more sense to consider every angle of the issue?? I guess that Bush is not the only one who is steadfast and resolute, even when the circumstances change.
That kind of mindset is the same as those who were gradually sucked into totalitarian regimes and years later wonder how it happened. Scary.

[Dr Dave]

The issue of selective reality, especially among the poorly educated and/or those who believe strongly in the literal interpretation of the Bible, has been discussed before and at some length by Joan Didion in "Slouching Toward Bethlehem" and "The White Album." Because all my books are packed up for moving, I cannot direct you to particular essays, but I do recall that they exist. Since "The White Album" was published in 1970 (I think), this is not by any stretch a new phenomenon.

Since the survey says there is no particular difference in levels of education, either Didion didn't cast her net widely enough, or perhaps people on the whole are just a lot dumber than they were 35 years ago.

[Gordon B]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

or perhaps people on the whole are just a lot dumber than they were 35 years ago.

Dave, why do you think that raw scores on IQ tests rise every year, neccessitating periodic downward rescalings?

[Dr Dave]

Because they dumb down the test every year?

[Gordon B]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

Because they dumb down the test every year?

You aren't getting it. They have to make the test harder or rescale the raw scores because when they give tests of equal difficulty the mean raw score rises year after year. This is true in the U.S. and worldwide.

[milesbeyondjazz]

I am not sure what the real reason is.As a former Bush suporter (or some one who bought the line of bullshit first time around.)I cant bring my self to vote for Bush this time.The war in Irac is a joke.We have no reason being their.Nor can I bring myself to vote for Kerry,who I see as being no different from Bush.People don't think anymore.They buy whatever the see on the evening news and accept it as the Gospel truth with out doing any reasoning or thinking on their own.This year Im going to vote Liberatarian .FOR A CHANGE!

[Gary Sisco]

Another classic.

[patricia]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

Because they dumb down the test every year?

Even if they don't dumb down the test, I.Q. scores are only one part of the complete equasion.
I have an uncle who is the most boring person on the planet.
His knowledge of the life-cycle and spawning habits of salmon is unequalled in the world [yes, THE WORLD]. He works for the Dept of Fisheries and is acknowledged as the go-to guy, if you want to know anything at all about salmon.
His I.Q. is high, but his interests are few, which has long been a source of puzzlement to the rest of the family. The idea of being seated next to him at a dinner, or stuck talking to him for any length of time is scary. Salmon is all he ever talks about, even in a social situation.
It' s not enough to score high on an I.Q. test. Many more factors come into play, which are more accurate indicators of how successfully and effectively one contributes their knowledge to the betterment of the world they live in.
Being able to order the deaths of thousands of people, to further one's agenda, with no guilt, seems more indicative of Bush's being a classic psychopath than a brilliant strategist. Perhaps he's both.

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by Gordon B

You aren't getting it. They have to make the test harder or rescale the raw scores because when they give tests of equal difficulty the mean raw score rises year after year. This is true in the U.S. and worldwide.

Well, I did well on the test, but it was a long, long time ago. Which proves your thesis.

[Gary Sisco]

Oh, clearly, he's a brilliant strategist. Ahem. A quick glance at the headlines would confirm that thesis. I'd say he's more sociopathic than psychopathic; though he does grade into psychopathy in his hearing the voice of God on a regular basis.

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by milesbeyondjazz

I am not sure what the real reason is.As a former Bush suporter (or some one who bought the line of bullshit first time around.)I cant bring my self to vote for Bush this time.The war in Irac is a joke.We have no reason being their.Nor can I bring myself to vote for Kerry,who I see as being no different from Bush.People don't think anymore.They buy whatever the see on the evening news and accept it as the Gospel truth with out doing any reasoning or thinking on their own.This year Im going to vote Liberatarian .FOR A CHANGE!

Please vote for John Kerry. It may not give you the same visceral satisfaction as voting Libertarian, but there is absolutely nothing to be gained by letting George W. Bush have another four years. It should be abundantly clear by now that every vote, including yours, counts.