Nearly all modern economic theories of politics begin by assuming that the typical citizen understands economics and votes accordingly—at least on average. […] In stark contrast, introductory economics courses still tacitly assume that students arrive with biased beliefs, and try to set them straight, leading to better policy. […]

What a striking situation: As researchers, economists do not mention systematically biased economic beliefs; as teachers, they take their existence for granted.

Bryan Caplan, The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies, Princeton, 2007, p. 13