The atmosphere of heightened political intensity prior to the mid-term elections provides an interesting opportunity to examine the degree to which the American public follows national politics, which groups are most likely to do so, and possible voting implications.
The latest Gallup Poll on the subject, conducted Sept. 5-8*, shows that a quarter of the American public (25%) follows national politics "very closely" and another 48% of Americans say they follow the topic "somewhat closely." Conversely, 22% say they follow national politics "not too closely" and 5% say "not at all."
This trend has been consistent throughout 2001 and 2002, varying only by seven percentage points over that time period. Gallup also asked the question several times during 1995 and 1996. Again, the percentage saying they followed national politics closely did not vary much.
Key Demographics
With elections on the line, candidates obviously attempt to craft their campaign messages according to the audiences they are trying to reach. While politicians may seek to be responsive to all their constituents, from a political standpoint it can be essential know who among those constituents follows politics most closely. When it comes to national politics, men are more likely than women to say they follow the subject very closely, by a margin of 33% to 17%. Additionally, only one in 10 Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 follows national politics very closely compared to 25% of those between the ages of 30 and 49, and nearly a third of Americans aged 50 and older (32%).
People with more formal education are more likely to keep track of what is occurring in the political world. Just 17% of Americans who have a high school education or less follow national politics very closely, compared to 24% who have some college education, and 32% of college graduates. Among those with postgraduate education, 43% follow national politics very closely.
While not dramatically different, political conservatives (30%) are more likely than moderates (22%) and liberals (21%) to say they follow national politics very closely. Those who identify themselves as Republicans (30%) also show a slightly greater tendency to follow political matters than Democrats (23%) and independents (22%).
Political Awareness Drives Voting Habits
Polling results also suggest a strong relationship between a person's stated interest in national politics and his or her voting habits. A majority (72%) of those who say they follow national politics very closely also say that they always vote, and another 20% say they nearly always vote. Among those who follow politics somewhat closely, 44% say they always vote, and 31% of those who do not follow politics closely say they always vote.
Additional Points
Newspaper readership is also a fair indicator of how much one follows national politics. More than four in 10 of those who read a newspaper every day say they follow national politics very closely, compared to 22% of those who read a newspaper occasionally, and 9% who rarely or never read the newspaper.
*Results based on interviews conducted with 1,004 adults, conducted Sept. 5-8, 2002. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3%.
