Political Knowledge Across Countries

The magic of Google Books brings us this chapter that examines what people know across several countries, as measured in part by candidate recognition.  The consistent predictors? 

• Education is a consistent factor across the 23 countries studied.  No surprise there.
• Voters know more than non-voters.
• Age has a weak but positive relationship with knowledge but the authors note that if you look carefully, those of middle age know more than young or old.
• Gender matters a little, with the traditional finding that men score higher than women.  I blogged extensively about studies that attempt to explain why.
• The electoral system matters -- but only a little.