Rational ignorance suggests that voters may not spend much time examining candidates before an election because
A)politics is boring
B)each voter has virtually no chance of deciding the election
C)public choices are not important to society
D)candidates are chosen by the electoral college
E)candidates are usually so different that it is easy to determine which is better

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Rational ignorance suggests that voters may not spend much time examining candidates before an election because each voter has virtually no chance of deciding the election. This is the best choice because it directly addresses the concept of rational ignorance, which is when a person chooses not to spend time and effort acquiring information because the expected benefit does not outweigh the cost. In the case of voting, the likelihood of an individual vote being the deciding factor in an election is extremely low, so it makes sense for some voters to not spend a lot of time researching candidates.

Rational Ignorance Suggests That Voters May Not Spend Much Time