ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews history of foreign policy as an issue that candidates, the media, and the electorate pay attention to during presidential elections. It analyzes survey data from the Iowa Caucus Poll. According to normative standards of democratic citizenship, voters should make informed election choices. Research has found that only during critical junctures, such as wars, do American audiences care about foreign policy and, most of the time, they have limited knowledge of international affairs. The chapter relies on data from the Iowa Caucus Poll, which was conducted by phone among registered voters by Iowa State's Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology during January 5–22, 2016. It offers reasons for optimism, however, showing that US audiences are interested in international news, with 53.6% of Iowans saying they are quite or very interested in foreign news. When considering the implications of this study's findings, one should also take into account the unique features of Iowa in the US presidential election process.
