Rules aimed at everyone are the hardest to communicate

Evidence

A crucial point in any discussion of the communication of legal rules is the size of the audience. Some rules of law only apply to a few people; others apply to a whole class; some apply to everybody. If a rule only applies to a small group (manufacturers of cars, for example), it is easier to make the rule known to the audience. It is easy to pinpoint and locate everybody who falls into the category of “car manufacturer”; the numbers are small, and car manufacturers are not exactly inconspicuous. A rule that is supposed to reach all burglars is trickier, and a rule directed at everybody—​the whole public—​is hard to get across; and quite expensive. The Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010 and launched three years later, but in the spring of 2013, just six months from the launch date, studies revealed that over three-​quarters of the public were unaware of their options. — Lawrence M. Friedman and Grant M. Hayden, American Law, 1056

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: A law can only shape behavior if it is communicated — Lawrence M. Friedman and Grant M. Hayden, American Law: An Introduction, 1055; People find conjunctive and disjunctive rules far harder than single-element rules. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2559; Rules without concrete instances are meaningless hindrances — Burton, Steven J, An Introduction to Law and Legal…, 148

Broader Connections

• Rules without concrete instances are meaningless hindrances #expands (0.80) — Burton, Steven J, An Introduction to Law and Legal…, 148
• People find conjunctive and disjunctive rules far harder than single-element rules. #expands (0.75) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2559