# Ignorance of the General Public **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 16, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437 "2011-12-16T18:56:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/1 "2011-12-16T18:56:03Z")
Inspired by a post from kanicbird in another thread, where he/she thought it was significant that the general public didn’t know that mercury was dangerous. I’m pretty sure I’ve read credible surveys that show disturbingly large percentages of people demonstrate much more blatant ignorance than that. For example, [here](http://aer.aas.org/resource/1/aerscz/v10/i1/p010101_s1) is a survey that shows 78% of college students consider astrology to be scientific. I remember reading other articles that showed amazing ignorance of basic facts, like the earth going around the sun, by the general public. But I’m only one man. I would like to ask my fellow Dopers to post links to their favorite example(s) of credible surveys that show amazing ignorance of basic facts — scientific, geographic, historical, etc. Note that I’m not looking for “Jaywalking” type of stuff, although I think some of those are hilarious. I’m talking about scientific surveys. Thanks for your participation. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/2 "2011-12-16T19:13:27Z")
[moderating] I don’t really see a question here, so I’ve moved the thread from GQ to IMHO. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/3 "2011-12-16T19:23:02Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:2, topic:606437”] [moderating] I don’t really see a question here, so I’ve moved the thread from GQ to IMHO. [/moderating] [/quote] This is NOT asking for opinions, it is asking for links to credible surveys. Please don’t bury it here. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/4 "2011-12-16T19:30:24Z")
[This](http://www.nationalgeographic.com/roper2006/pdf/FINALReport2006GeogLitsurvey.pdf) National Geographic poll from 2006 has some scary findings: Six in ten (63%) Americans cannot find Iraq on a map of the Middle East. Three-quarters cannot find Indonesia on a map Three-quarters (75%) of young men and women do not know that a majority of Indonesia’s population is Muslim (making it the largest Muslim country in the world) Three-quarters (74%) believe English is the most commonly spoken native language in the world, rather than Mandarin Chinese. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/5 "2011-12-16T20:06:12Z")
> [@brocks](#): > > This is NOT asking for opinions, it is asking for links to credible surveys. Please don’t bury it here. Okay. I understand what you’re saying. I have moved it back. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/6 "2011-12-16T20:33:48Z")
I know it’s not quite what you’re asking for, but Wikipedia’s [list of common misconceptions](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions) is somewhat related. ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/7 "2011-12-16T20:45:35Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:5, topic:606437”] Okay. I understand what you’re saying. I have moved it back. [/quote] Thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/8 "2011-12-16T21:00:25Z")
> [@tellyworth](#): > > I know it’s not quite what you’re asking for, but Wikipedia’s [list of common misconceptions](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions) is somewhat related. It’s a very interesting link, and I thank you for it, but as you said, not quite what I was asking for. In fact, I’m afraid that a pretty large percentage of the general public doesn’t know enough to have formed many of those misconceptions. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2011, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/9 "2011-12-16T21:55:58Z")
70% of Americans don’t know what the Constitution is. 29% don’t know who the Vice President is (although, I would have thought that number would be higher) > **[What's the Constitution? Don't bother asking 70% of Americans: Alarming...](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1368482/How-ignorant-Americans-An-alarming-number-U-S-citizens-dont-know-basic-facts-country.html)** > > It has emerged that 70 per cent of Americans do not know what the Constitution is, and six per cent don't even know when Independence Day falls. America celebrates Independence Day with fireworks and barbecues and beer, but according to a new Marist Poll one in four Americans don’t even know what country America declared its independence from. And only 58 percent of residents know that the U.S. broke off in 1776. U.S.A.! The survey of 1,003 adults was taken earlier this month and found that younger Americans were the least likely to know when America broke away from Great Britain. Only 31 percent of adults younger than 30 said 1776 when asked while 59 percent of residents between 30 and 44 got the question right. Americans 45 to 59 were most likely to know the year, with 75 percent getting it right. 65 percent of men got the answer right while only 52 percent of women did. > **[Home of the Marist Poll | Polls, Analysis, Learning, and More](https://maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/71-independence-day-dummy-seventeen-seventy-when/)** > > The Marist Institute for Public Opinion (MIPO) is a survey research center. MIPO is home to the Marist Poll and conducts polls on politics, the economy, sports, technology and more at the local, state, and national level. ---
**Author:** ![emoticorpse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@emoticorpse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emoticorpse)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/10 "2011-12-18T21:21:30Z")
I’m not trying to question the poster’s intelligence but isn’t trusting surveys or statistics one of the things that the ignorant general public would do? I don’t trust surveys or statistics at all I would take them into consideration but I wouldn’t waste my time looking for them to use as some kind of basis I mean for all you know it could be biased. But I mean I can give you my opinion that the general public definitely is a couple bricks short of a stack. ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/11 "2011-12-18T23:24:41Z")
I’m just looking for data. I promise not to assume it’s all true. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/12 "2011-12-18T23:27:27Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > Three-quarters (74%) believe English is the most commonly spoken native language in the world, rather than Mandarin Chinese. English isn’t even the second most commonly spoken native language; Spanish is. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/13 "2011-12-19T05:46:39Z")
sorry, no good links. Yes surveys are more useful for plumbing the depths of ignorance than establishing fact. And one only need to spend a little time on the net ot be appalled at the ignorance. This does remind me of one story. Some kids found a puppy and were trying to decide if it was a boy or a girl. Finally one boy suggested they vote. I pull it out sometimes when I am well outnumbered by the ignorant on some sites. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/14 "2011-12-19T06:17:52Z")
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that. -George Carlin ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/15 "2011-12-19T06:53:42Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > [This](http://www.nationalgeographic.com/roper2006/pdf/FINALReport2006GeogLitsurvey.pdf) National Geographic poll from 2006 has some scary findings: > > Six in ten (63%) Americans cannot find Iraq on a map of the Middle East. > Three-quarters cannot find Indonesia on a map > Three-quarters (75%) of young men and women do not know that a majority of Indonesia’s population is Muslim (making it the largest Muslim country in the world) > Three-quarters (74%) believe English is the most commonly spoken native language in the world, rather than Mandarin Chinese. I find the poll interesting but not scary by any means. As far as the map reading, yeah we should have paid more attention in geography class but most people can’t find it because they for the most part never have to look at that area. I would have probably guessed that Muslim was the dominating ethnic group in Indonesia, but why would the common person know this? The only one that I think should be fairly common knowledge is that Chinese is the most common language. Only because most people are aware that China’s population is staggering. It would be reasonable to assume that. I guess what I am trying to say is that these polls ask people questions that seem so obvious, but when you think about it why would most people know these things? Most people have no connection to Indonesia, so why would they know the main religion. Knowing where Iraq is, I can see that most people should know it because of our involvement there, but Indonesia? Why would they be familiar with its location? Perhaps if they were given a minute to study the map they could find it no problem, but to just point at it on an unmarked map? Why would the common man need to know that? I went to The Gambia once and I am certain that 999 out of 1000 wouldn’t have a clue where The Gambia is located. Why should they? ---
**Author:** ![iftheresaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecae2f/32.png) [@iftheresaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iftheresaway)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/16 "2011-12-19T07:03:25Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > I guess what I am trying to say is that these polls ask people questions that seem so obvious, but when you think about it why would most people know these things? Most people have no connection to Indonesia, so why would they know the main religion. Knowing where Iraq is, I can see that most people should know it because of our involvement there, but Indonesia? Why would they be familiar with its location? Perhaps if they were given a minute to study the map they could find it no problem, but to just point at it on an unmarked map? Why would the common man need to know that? I went to The Gambia once and I am certain that 999 out of 1000 wouldn’t have a clue where The Gambia is located. Why should they? I’m with you on this. There are many things that the average [American] should probably know about Iraq, including perhaps a general sense of its location (e.g. “Middle East” versus “somewhere in Australia?”), but pinpointing its location on an unmarked map is not one of them. I can tell you for a fact that I am unable to locate my city to within 100 miles on an unmarked map of the US. And tangentially related to the OP: a [YouTube video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmLwnSXNpFU) of a French “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” audience missing a basic fact (although some argue that they did it to screw with the contestant). ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/17 "2011-12-19T07:18:35Z")
> [@emoticorpse](#): > > I’m not trying to question the poster’s intelligence but isn’t trusting surveys or statistics one of the things that the ignorant general public would do? I don’t trust surveys or statistics at all I would take them into consideration but I wouldn’t waste my time looking for them to use as some kind of basis I mean for all you know it could be biased. But I mean I can give you my opinion that the general public definitely is a couple bricks short of a stack. To the contrary, the general public, in my experience, doesn’t trust statistics _enough_. (This is mostly because they don’t know how to read and evaluate them.) ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/18 "2011-12-19T07:20:54Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > I guess what I am trying to say is that these polls ask people questions that seem so obvious, but when you think about it why would most people know these things? Most people have no connection to Indonesia, so why would they know the main religion. Knowing where Iraq is, I can see that most people should know it because of our involvement there, but Indonesia? Why would they be familiar with its location? Perhaps if they were given a minute to study the map they could find it no problem, but to just point at it on an unmarked map? Why would the common man need to know that? I went to The Gambia once and I am certain that 999 out of 1000 wouldn’t have a clue where The Gambia is located. Why should they? So long as the common man isn’t forming opinions about Iraq and Islam and voting for people based on those opinions, I’m totally okay with the common man not being able to locate Iraq on the map or know where Muslims tend to live on the globe. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/19 "2011-12-19T11:24:03Z")
> [@emoticorpse](#): > > I’m not trying to question the poster’s intelligence but isn’t trusting surveys or statistics one of the things that the ignorant general public would do? When I read the results of the Marist post above, I wondered how the questions were phrased. Did the options for when the US broke with England include the years the war started and ended? Where the options for who the US broke away from England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom? I recommend House of Cards to everyone. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437/20 "2011-12-19T11:36:40Z")
I just checked out the poll - it was a telephone poll, heavily skewed to landlines, slightly skewed to the south. I found no indication that answers such as “1783”, when the treaty was signed, or “England” would be accepted as correct, or at least not included as “Some other date/country”. So, I have my doubts about this poll. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignorance-of-the-general-public/606437.md?page=2)