It May Not Seem That Way, but Politicians Often Do What Voters Want

Do politicians care what voters want? New evidence may suggest they don’t — and many voters are skeptical, too. A 2018 survey by the Pew Research Center reports that less than half the country says elected officials care what ordinary people think.

In reality, policy outcomes at the state, congressional district and city levels suggest politicians at least act as if they care. Both within and across parties, there is a clear connection between the opinions voters hold and the actual policies that politicians put in place. CONT.

Lynn Vavreck & Chris Tausanovitch (UCLA), New York Times