In a Harvard study conducted immediately following the conclusion of the 8th and final season of HBO’s hit show “Game of Thrones” researchers found that 73% of Americans were able to identify Bran Stark as the new king of Westeros, while only 32% could name the governor of the state in which they reside.

“It came as a surprise to many of us,” says researcher Hellen Dubrinsky “I guess we sort of assumed that people might at least know the names of their governors.”

This finding offers insight into the complicated political arena most Americans find themselves in. “Based on our findings it seems pretty obvious that people would rather spend over 70 hours closely following the fantasy intrigue of Westeros than keeping up on local developments that actually affect their daily lives.” comments Dubrinksy.

“The characters and their struggles were so captivating and surprisingly relatable.” claims Game of Thrones fan Douglas Hapsworth, whose voting district was recently gerrymandered into oblivion by state senators. 

Angela Simmons, a GOT diehard since day reported that “the pains and triumphs felt so real for many of us who have been with our favorites every step of the way. It just provided something so meaningful for so many of us to be a part of something that important.”

Simmons went on to state that she was so caught up in the action taking place in the Battle of the Blackwater while re-watching Season 2 that she forgot to vote on a state ballot measure to increase funding for public schools and fire departments.