the study cited is instructive on many levels. It helps explain why Mitt and his brain trust convinced themselves he was going to win. It at least partially explains Democrats' timidity in speaking up for their programs. It provides some insight into the media mind set which elevates conservative memes even when they are patently wrong and unpopular.
If this sinks, so be it,I won't keep it alive.

I long ago stopped believing it was down to ignorance. The Dems choose to ignore the nation is generally more progressive than they are because they find it personally lucrative to do so - politically, literally, or both. And that's because they're every bit as in thrall to corporate money as the cons.