Before tonight's debate, I naively thought that undecideds were simply extremely uninformed people who just needed some sobering statistics to help them see the light and vote Kerry. However, when I read this Washington Post
article in which several participants of the 10/8 presidential debate are interviewed, I was shocked that after 90 minutes of Q&A on a wide variety of subjects, many felt they were no closer to making a decision. How is this possible?
I started to wonder if the reason these people are undecided has less to do with the candidates and more to do with the participants' personality type--that is, these people are indecisive by nature.
Assuming this is the case--and I realize that it is a big assumption--I pose the following questions related to the upcoming election:
- Is an indecisive person more likely to go with a known (Bush), or a lesser known (Kerry)?
- What is the chance that an indecisive person will avoid making a decision all together if possible (not vote)?
- What does an indecisive person need in order to make a decision (Kerry talking points)?
Comments by psychologists and laymen alike are welcome.