Democracy for Realists challenges the romantic theory of the people that underlies contemporary thinking about democratic politics and governance, offering a provocative alternative perspective based on the actual human nature of democratic citizens. Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels draw on a wealth of social scientific evidence, including original analyses of topics such as abortion policy, budget deficits, the Great Depression, and shark attacks, to demonstrate that the familiar ideal of thoughtful citizens steering the state from the ballot box is fundamentally misguided. They show that voters – even those who are well-informed and politically engaged – primarily choose parties and candidates based on social identities and partisan loyalties, rather than political issues. They also reveal that voters adjust their political views and even their perceptions of fundamental matters.