One of the greatest privileges of a free society is the right to vote.Varying percentages of Americans take advantage of this right depending on the type of election and their level of motivation. But what makes citizens vote for a particular party or agenda?

Author and researcher Phillip Nelson offers a new and thoughtful approach to understanding why Americans vote the way they do. He contends that voters do not have enough good information on which to base their decisions. He believes that many, if not most, might vote differently if given better information about their choices, "as long as they regard that information as relevant to their voting decisions."

A common theme of this book is that most liberal voters are "naive altruists." These voters want more "social justice" interference on the part of government without fully realizing, or simply ignoring, the impacts. Nelson cites programs for the needy and the environment as examples of costs that liberals are willing to assume as long as there is no direct impact to them.

Another contributor to voters' bad decisions is "confirmation bias," when a voter only wants to hear "that which confirms his political position." Nelson found that both Democrats and Republicans are very similar when it comes to these tendencies.

As may be expected, colleges and universities are major influencers of naive altruism. Teachers and professors in the humanities and non-economic social sciences are overwhelmingly liberal. Research shows students become more liberal as their years in higher education advance, and these impacts extend beyond graduation.

Good Intentions–Bad Consequences presents a strong case for an informed electorate as "the democratic ideal." The author provides a wealth of information and research to give us hope that this goal is achievable.

The Education Reporter Book Review is a project of America’s Future, Inc. To find out more about America’s Future, visit AmericasFuture.net.

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