%0 Report
        %A Blinder, Alan S.
%A Krueger, Alan B.
        %T What Does the Public Know about Economic Policy, and How Does It Know It?
        %D 2004
        %8 2004 Sep
        %I Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        %C Bonn
        %7 IZA Discussion Paper
        %N 1324
        %U https://www.iza.org/index.php/publications/dp1324
        %X Public opinion influences politicians, and therefore influences public policy decisions. What
are the roles of self-interest, knowledge, and ideology in public opinion formation? And how
do people learn about economic issues? Using a new, specially-designed survey, we find
that most respondents express a strong desire to be well informed on economic policy
issues, and that television is their dominant source of information. On a variety of major
policy issues (e.g., taxes, social security, health insurance), ideology is the most important
determinant of public opinion, while measures of self-interest are the least important.
Knowledge about the economy ranks somewhere in between.
        %K knowledge
%K public opinion
%K ideology