When rulers can't understand the ruled: Study finds significant gaps between Washington insiders, general Americans
Tuesday, September 16, 2014 - 05:06
in Psychology & Sociology
A significant gap has been found in demographics, experience and partisanship between Washington insiders and the Americans they govern. "The elements of difference we have identified between the rulers and the ruled give us some reason to suspect that the two groups may not perceive the political world in the same way," the researchers write. "Taken together, these elements could well create a substantial cognitive and perceptual gulf between official and quasi-official Washington on the one hand and the American public on the other."