Concerns about American democracy often overlook how elected officials themselves perceive public opinion.
The Problem
US legislators systematically misperceive their constituents' views on key policies, a gap explored through two field experiments. These studies reveal that while legislative staff were invited to view accurate data from the 2016 Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES), uptake was extremely low—just 11% in the first experiment and 2.3% in the second.
Key Findings: A Surprising Outcome
Accessing this factual dashboard did not improve accuracy among those who viewed it.
Why It Matters
This underscores a significant challenge to democratic governance: elected officials may actively resist or fail to effectively utilize factual information about their constituents' beliefs.
