Political Awareness, Concept and Measurement

According to Zaller political awareness means ‘‘the extent to which an individual pays attention to politics and understands what he or she has encountered ’’ (Zaller 1992, 21). To elaborate, awareness reflects ‘‘intellectual or cognitive engagement with public affairs ’’ (ibid.), as indicated by factual information about government and politics that has gotten into people’s minds”. Political awareness operates in the political information exchange between the individual and various sources of political messages communicated in the public space. It is commonly understood as an important asset, which determines people’s engagement with politics and how political awareness might be a key asset, which determines participation and active citizenship. Although there is some degree of consensus, over how we should understand political awareness, there is a variety of conceptualizations of political awareness. Above all there are is an even greater variety in what cognitive information and other preconditions the political aware make use in analysis of information and participation decisions. There are questions of the role of political values; standards which makes people prefer certain policies, persons outcomes or ideologies, equality, freedom, respect, tolerance etc., the role of emotions; contempt, indignation, liking, pride, envy or admiration all influences rationality and other important issues operating as preconditions in the politically aware. This paper aim at developing a conceptual understanding and, how the concept might be measured in surveys. At the end we put some tasks to be considered for discussion.