If one accepts the idea that voters are “rationally ignorant,” then high-profile moments in which candidates reveal their leadership qualities should lead to shifts in voter sentiment. Still, economic confidence remains lower than the pre-crisis 50% registered in 2007. Perhaps the simplest test of whether voters are competent to determine their leaders is whether their appraisals of their national economies reflect reality. Just three of the 12 nations for which trends are available have seen an increase of public confidence in their national economy in the past year. In two major economies — Canada and Japan — views about economic conditions have become more negative than they were in 2015.

Source: Washington Post August 09, 2016 14:03 UTC