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This study tests a multivariate model of knowledgeability concerning the econorny and the environment. Although the public is generally notwell informed in these areas, several characteristics distinguish between more and less knowledgeable citizens. The primary factors related to knowledgeability are gender, race, and education, with age and income displaying no independent relationship with knowledgeability and-with political ideology being related to information about the environment but not the** economy.

A painfully large portion of the American public does not seem to know the most basic facts of political life. Kriesberg (1949) once characterized foreign affairs as a" dark area of ignorance," but the fact that so many Americans cannot even name the three branches of the federal government, are unsure of how many senators represent their state in Washington, and do not know the name of their governor …