Question

Suppose there is an election for Soft Drink Commissioner. The field consists of one candidate from the Pepsi party and four from the Coca-Cola party. This would seem to indicate a strong preference for Coca-Cola among the voting population, but the Pepsi candidate ends up winning in a landslide. Why does this happen?

Short answer

The Pepsi candidate ends up winning despite Coca-Cola having strong preference because voter participation from the Coca-Cola population was low as a result it gave the Pepsi candidate the opportunity to win the election.

Step-by-step solution

Step 1. Meaning of rational ignorance.

Rational ignorance is the theory that rational people will choose to remain uninformed because the cost of getting information is greater than the benefits from being informed.

Step 2. Reason for Pepsi candidate winning.

The Pepsi candidate ends up winning despite Coca-Cola having strong preference because voter participation from the Coca-Cola population was low as a result it gave the Pepsi candidate the opportunity to win the election.