--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well-informed citizens, too, have come in…" description: "\"“Well-informed citizens, too, have come in for their share of criticism, since their well-organized “ideological” thinking often turns out to be just a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/818/christopher-h-achen-47929_leadership_well-informed-citizens-too-have-come-in_1843424.jpg" --- # Well-informed citizens, too, have come in for their share… ![“Well-informed citizens, too, have come in for their share of criticism, since their well-organized “ideological” thinking often turns out to be just a rather mechanical reflection of what their favorite group and party leaders have instructed them to think” quote by Christopher H. Achen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/818/christopher-h-achen-47929_leadership_well-informed-citizens-too-have-come-in_1843424.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/818/christopher-h-achen-47929_leadership_well-informed-citizens-too-have-come-in_1843424.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/818/christopher-h-achen-47929_leadership_well-informed-citizens-too-have-come-in_1843424.jpg) > ““Well-informed citizens, too, have come in for their share of criticism, since their well-organized “ideological” thinking often turns out to be just a rather mechanical reflection of what their favorite group and party leaders have instructed them to think”” [Christopher H. Achen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-h-achen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even informed citizens can echo party lines mechanically, showing limits of critical thinking. **In simple terms:** Citizens may think mechanically. Key Takeaway Encourage independent analysis. Themes politics critical thinking media influence Mood analytical concerned Type academic inspirational When to use this quote - elections - media consumption - public debates - policy discussions Key Concepts political psychology groupthink Questions to Reflect On - How can you verify political information? - What steps foster independent thought? A Different Perspective Changing entrenched beliefs is hard. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Criticism Organized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism-organized-2369161/) [Ideological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideological/) [Ideological Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideological-thinking-795912/) [Informed citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/informed-citizens/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Organized Ideological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organized-ideological-2369162/) ## Related quotes > [Ideological thinking becomes emancipated from the reality that we perceive with our five senses, and insists on a 'truer' reality concealed behind all perceptible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/ideological-thinking-becomes-emancipated-from-the-reality-that-we/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [Totalitarian rule marks the sharpest contrast imaginable with political rule, and ideological thinking is an explicit and direct challenge to political thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/totalitarian-rule-marks-the-sharpest-contrast-imaginable-with/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) > [The goal of cable news executives is not to make me an informed citizen of Earth. Their mission is to tickle the dark reptilian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-p-harrison/the-goal-of-cable-news-executives-is-not-to-make-me-an-informed/) [Guy P. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-p-harrison/) > [“A democratic society must seek to give every young person, whether native-born or newcomer, the knowledge and skills to succeed as an adult. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ravitch/a-democratic-society-must-seek-to-give-every-young-person-whether/) [Diane Ravitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ravitch/) > [“This is only the beginning of a huge “Copernican revolution” (to borrow a phrase from Matthew Taylor, one of Tony Blair’s advisers) that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-micklethwait/this-is-only-the-beginning-of-a-huge-copernican-revolution-to-borrow/) [John Micklethwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-micklethwait/) > [An informed citizenry is the only true repository of the public will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/an-informed-citizenry-is-the-only-true-repository-of-the-public-will/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [All of those on the left, as I am, have always vastly preferred the democratic society over the hierarchical society and still do, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/all-of-those-on-the-left-as-i-am-have-always-vastly-preferred-the/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [Since an informed citizenry is the basis for a healthy democracy, independent, non-corporate media are more crucial today than ever before](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dahr-jamail/since-an-informed-citizenry-is-the-basis-for-a-healthy-democracy/) [Dahr Jamail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dahr-jamail/) > [I don't advocate civil disobedience. I do advocate the role of an informed citizen to try to overturn when a court makes a mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/i-don-t-advocate-civil-disobedience-i-do-advocate-the-role-of-an/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [Politicians would only move beyond gestures once there was a critical mass of informed citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-collier/politicians-would-only-move-beyond-gestures-once-there-was-a-critical/) [Paul Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-collier/) > [“Crosswords do not informed citizens make.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/crosswords-do-not-informed-citizens-make/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [The high office of the President has been used to foment a plot to destroy the American's freedom and before I leave office, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/the-high-office-of-the-president-has-been-used-to-foment-a-plot-to/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Ideological bigotry has become the norm on even our most prestigious campuses, where students can go for years without reading or hearing anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/ideological-bigotry-has-become-the-norm-on-even-our-most-prestigious/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“An ideological movement is a collection of people many of whom could hardly bake a cake, fix a car, sustain a friendship or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/an-ideological-movement-is-a-collection-of-people-many-of-whom-could/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) ## More by Christopher H. Achen > [“Elections do not force successful candidates to reflect the policy preferences of the median voter,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-h-achen/elections-do-not-force-successful-candidates-to-reflect-the-policy/) [Christopher H. Achen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-h-achen/) > [“incumbent politicians may face a dilemma: should they implement the policies voters want or the policies that will turn out to contribute to voters’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-h-achen/incumbent-politicians-may-face-a-dilemma-should-they-implement-the/) [Christopher H. Achen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-h-achen/) > [“what if voters don’t really know what they want?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-h-achen/what-if-voters-don-t-really-know-what-they-want/) [Christopher H. Achen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-h-achen/) > [“Public perceptions of the prevalence of crime seem to be more strongly related to local media coverage of crime—largely a product of broadcasters’ commercial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-h-achen/public-perceptions-of-the-prevalence-of-crime-seem-to-be-more/) [Christopher H. Achen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-h-achen/) > [“Americans are much more resolute in their identification with party than they are in their identification with ideology.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-h-achen/americans-are-much-more-resolute-in-their-identification-with-party/) [Christopher H. Achen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-h-achen/) > [“there was much to despise about the legislatures of the Gilded Age, which were often severely malapportioned in favor of rural interests, heavily influenced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-h-achen/there-was-much-to-despise-about-the-legislatures-of-the-gilded-age/) [Christopher H. Achen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-h-achen/) > [“when ordinary people are exposed to intensive political education and conversation on specific policy issues, they often change their mind”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-h-achen/when-ordinary-people-are-exposed-to-intensive-political-education-and/) [Christopher H. Achen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-h-achen/) [Explore all 8 Christopher H. Achen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-h-achen/) ## More Ideological quotes > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [“An ideological movement is a collection of people many of whom could hardly bake a cake, fix a car, sustain a friendship or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/an-ideological-movement-is-a-collection-of-people-many-of-whom-could/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) > [Ideological bigotry has become the norm on even our most prestigious campuses, where students can go for years without reading or hearing anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/ideological-bigotry-has-become-the-norm-on-even-our-most-prestigious/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The current demoralization of the art world is attributable at least in part to museum interference, ideological and practical, with ongoing creation in art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/the-current-demoralization-of-the-art-world-is-attributable-at-least/) [Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/) > [We talk a lot about how abortion is a medical procedure, but actually if you look at what the other side is doing, they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-northup/we-talk-a-lot-about-how-abortion-is-a-medical-procedure-but-actually/) [Nancy Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-northup/) > [I am devoting my lecture in this seminar to a discussion of the possibility that we are now entering a Jewish century, a time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-a-siegel/i-am-devoting-my-lecture-in-this-seminar-to-a-discussion-of-the/) [Martin A. Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-a-siegel/) > [We must regard Sarah Palin as the Carmella Soprano of the GOP -- an enabling wife of organized crime, who sees, hears and speaks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cintra-wilson/we-must-regard-sarah-palin-as-the-carmella-soprano-of-the-gop-an/) [Cintra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cintra-wilson/) > [ Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, calls \[Betsy\] DeVos the most ideological, anti-public education nominee since the creation of the U.S.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudio-sanchez/randi-weingarten-head-of-the-american-federation-of-teachers-calls/) [Claudio Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudio-sanchez/) > [Somehow, in the novel format, I don't really like to do upfront, ideological discussion. In my heart, literature remains a poetic and ambiguous medium.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xiaolu-guo/somehow-in-the-novel-format-i-don-t-really-like-to-do-upfront/) [Xiaolu Guo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xiaolu-guo/) > [Thousands of years of ideological, philosophical and practical decisions were made. They altered the surface of the earth, the coordinates of our souls. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/thousands-of-years-of-ideological-philosophical-and-practical/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Christians are supposed to love each other. Communists are supposed to share bonds with all proletarians and other communists. Every ideological group proclaims universality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-north/christians-are-supposed-to-love-each-other-communists-are-supposed-to/) [Gary North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-north/) > [The Cold War was obviously driven by a very intense ideological struggle that was very clearly defined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/the-cold-war-was-obviously-driven-by-a-very-intense-ideological/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [Unlike Washington, which is stuck in ideological gridlock, Americans feel the impact of climate change in their own hometowns and they know something must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/unlike-washington-which-is-stuck-in-ideological-gridlock-americans/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [The current health care takeover proposals feature a crucial payoff to Big Labor - a golden exemption from any tax on union members' generous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-malkin/the-current-health-care-takeover-proposals-feature-a-crucial-payoff/) [Michelle Malkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-malkin/) > [When established identities become outworn or unfinished ones threaten to remain incomplete, special crises compel men to wage holy wars, by the cruelest means,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-established-identities-become-outworn-or-unfinished-ones/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 451 Ideological quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideological/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Well-informed citizens, too, have come in for their share of criticism, since their well-organized “ideological” thinking often turns out to be just a rather mechanical reflection of what their favorite group and party leaders have instructed them to think”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher H. 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