"Why did "protesters" storm the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021? Because they believed something demonstrably false: that the election had been "stolen." Why did a majority of Americans vote for the would-be dictator who promoted this lie three years later? At least in part, again, because many of them believed obviously false things: e.g., that the economy was worse than it was; that crime was more widespread, trans athletes more numerous, and migrants more violent."
"All evidence to the contrary, some believed Trump would end the Gaza war, or bring prices down, or stand up for workers, or deport only violent criminals, or release the Epstein files, or back down on tariffs, or retreat from Project 2025. And while a few former supporters have turned against him as these fantasies have run aground on the shoals of reality,"
Democratic breakdown is driven in large part by epistemic failure as many citizens hold demonstrably false beliefs. False beliefs fueled the January 6 riot and sustained broad support for an authoritarian-leaning leader despite contrary evidence. Voters embraced inaccurate perceptions about the economy, crime, trans athletes, and migrants, and entertained unrealistic expectations about policy outcomes. A minority abandoned those beliefs when confronted by reality, but most remain in an alternate information environment. Individual cognitive biases and motivated reasoning combine with systemic shifts—talk radio, cable news, social media, attention economics, and the decline of local journalism—to worsen political ignorance.
Read at Apaonline
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