Question

voters’ political orientation, level of political information, and probability of voting
probability of voting (%)
voters’ political orientation
(1 = strong democrat/liberal;
4 = independent;
7 = strong republican/conservative)
low information
high information
communication theorists rick charles and melvin stephens jr. investigated a variety of factors that influence voter turnout in the united states. using survey data that revealed whether respondents voted in national elections and how knowledgeable respondents are about politics, charles and stephens claim that the likelihood of voting is driven in part by perceived “competence” in their assessment of candidates—essentially, the more informed voters are about politics, the more confident they are at evaluating whether candidates share their views, and thus the more likely they are to vote.
8
mark for review
which choice best describes data in the graph that support charles and stephens’s claim?
a
at each point on the political orientation scale, high-information voters were more likely than low-information voters to vote.
b
only low-information voters who identify as independent had a voting probability below 50%.
c
the closer that low-information voters are to the ends of the political orientation scale, the more likely they were to vote.
d
high-information voters were more likely to identify as strong democrats or strong republicans than low-information voters were.

Explanation:

To determine the correct option, we analyze each choice against the graph (voting probability by political orientation and information level):

• Option A: Compare high (black) and low (gray) information bars at each political orientation. High - info bars (black) are taller (higher probability) than low - info (gray) at every point. This matches the graph.
• Option B: For independent voters (category 4), low - info probability (gray bar) is above 50%? No, the graph shows low - info at 4 (independent) has a probability above 40 but let's check. Wait, the key is: the statement says "only low - info independents have below 50%", but the graph doesn't support this (e.g., low - info at 1 (strong Dem) is ~80%, at 4 (independent) low - info is ~40? Wait, no, the y - axis is probability (%). Wait, the gray bars (low info) at each political orientation: at 1 (strong Dem), gray is ~80; at 2, ~70; 3, ~60; 4, ~40; 5, ~60; 6, ~70; 7, ~80. So independent (4) low - info is ~40 (below 50), but other low - info (e.g., 1,2,3,5,6,7) are above 50. So "only" is wrong.
• Option C: The statement says "closer to ends (1 or 7) → more likely to vote". But low - info voters at 1 (strong Dem) have ~80% (high), low - info at 7 (strong Rep) ~80% (high). Wait, the statement is about low - info: "the closer to ends... more likely". But low - info at 4 (middle) is ~40, at 1/7 ~80. But the option says "low - info voters" – but the graph shows high - info (black) is higher. Wait, the option's wording: "the closer that low - information voters are to the ends... more likely". But low - info at 1: ~80, at 4: ~40, at 7: ~80. So yes, low - info at ends have higher probability. But wait, the original graph: black is high info, gray is low info. Wait, the option says "low - information voters" – but the graph's black (high info) is taller. Wait, no, the option's logic: "closer to ends (1 or 7) → more likely to vote" for low - info. But low - info at 1: ~80, at 4: ~40, at 7: ~80. So that's true? But wait, the correct answer is A. Wait, no, let's re - check A: "At each point... high - info were more likely than low - info to vote" – black bars (high info) are taller than gray (low info) at every political orientation (1–7). So A is correct.
• Option D: The statement says "high - info more likely to identify as strong Dem or Rep than low - info". The graph is about voting probability, not identification. So this is irrelevant to the graph's data (which is about voting probability, not voter identification rates).

Answer:

A. At each point on the political orientation scale, high - information voters were more likely than low - information voters to vote