# Is the Earth round or flat? Just 66% of millennials firmly believe that the earth is round **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 6, 2018, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938 "2018-04-06T19:01:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/1 "2018-04-06T19:01:28Z")
> [@](#): > > While an overwhelming majority of Americans (84%) believe that the Earth is round, at least 5% of the public say they used to believe that but now have their doubts. > > Flat earthers find traction in their beliefs among a younger generation of Americans. Young millennials, ages 18 to 24, are likelier than any other age group to say they believe the Earth is flat (4%). > > 8215 US adults were questioned on Feb 6, 2018. > Results are weighted to be representative of the US population. > **[Most flat earthers consider themselves very religious | YouGov](https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/20510-most-flat-earthers-consider-themselves-religious)** > > Just 66% of millennials firmly believe that the earth is round My reaction is quite different: that to a lot of people this is going to come across as a joke question–and they will consequently respond with joke answers. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/2 "2018-04-06T19:18:29Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > [Most flat earthers consider themselves very religious | YouGov](https://today.yougov.com/news/2018/04/02/most-flat-earthers-consider-themselves-religious/) > > My reaction is quite different: that to a lot of people this is going to come across as a joke question–and they will consequently respond with joke answers. I heard Flat Earth Beer is pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/3 "2018-04-06T19:33:07Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > [Most flat earthers consider themselves very religious | YouGov](https://today.yougov.com/news/2018/04/02/most-flat-earthers-consider-themselves-religious/) > > My reaction is quite different: that to a lot of people this is going to come across as a joke question–and they will consequently respond with joke answers. That’s my impression. Millennials seem more likely to troll pollsters than older generations. ETA: I sincerely hope that’s all it is. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/4 "2018-04-06T20:09:11Z")
By most definitions, ‘millennials’ would include both of the first two groups in that survey, and a section of the 3rd. But yeah, I’d guess that the stronger trend here is that 18-24 year olds are more likely to either troll or play word games- note that the most significantly different group (16% for 18-24 year olds, only 2% for 55+) is the ‘not sure/other’ group. I didn’t know if the world was round or not when I was a baby, so I’ve not ‘always’ believed. I don’t ‘believe’ the world is round, belief is something you have about things you can’t test… etc. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/5 "2018-04-06T20:27:56Z")
I couldnt believe this until the other day my 16 year old son came home and told me about how some kids on his bus were saying the earth was flat. And NOW we are supposed to trust them with a $100,000 loan for college? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/6 "2018-04-06T20:55:30Z")
Of course it’s flat. The Earth never had singing lessons. Remember - there is nothing to sphere but sphere itself. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/7 "2018-04-06T21:00:44Z")
Seems legit. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/8 "2018-04-06T21:08:20Z")
So > [@](#): > > I always thought the world is round, but more recently I am skeptical/have doubt > 5% > I always thought the world is flat, but more recently I am skeptical/have doubts > 2% So 7% of the population has recently had experiences that changed their concept of the shape of the planet. Sure. Sounds reasonable. But is there really zero percent who realize the planet is cube shaped? ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/9 "2018-04-06T21:15:02Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > But is there really zero percent who realize the planet is cube shaped? Only at the corners. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/10 "2018-04-06T21:20:13Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > I couldnt believe this until the other day my 16 year old son came home and told me about how some kids on his bus were saying the earth was flat. > > And NOW we are supposed to trust them with a $100,000 loan for college? Withholding loans would infringe on their religious liberty. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/11 "2018-04-06T21:23:53Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > But is there really zero percent who realize the planet is cube shaped? And all the world is biscuit-shaped It’s just for me to feed my face ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/12 "2018-04-06T21:42:35Z")
Only 84% of the population thinks it’s round? Even 99.84% would have been alarmingly low. There’s no explanation other than that many people are using the Boaty McBoatface approach and deliberately joke-responding to the survey. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/13 "2018-04-06T22:10:32Z")
[A rebuttal, straight from the horse’s mouth](https://i.imgur.com/gO83JlZ.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/14 "2018-04-06T22:44:51Z")
I wonder if you’d get better poll results if you paid people a dollar for every correct answer? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/15 "2018-04-06T22:54:06Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > But is there really zero percent who realize the planet is cube shaped? Clearly it must be Time Cube shaped. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/16 "2018-04-06T22:58:24Z")
If only 4% of Americans believed in creationism or intelligent design, that would be amazing. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/17 "2018-04-06T23:04:08Z")
100% of them are dumb shits because the earth is ellipsoid. > [@Filbert](#): > > By most definitions, ‘millennials’ would include both of the first two groups in that survey, and a section of the 3rd. Yeah, though the term is stupid. A good chunk of the second and third groups reach adulthood before that term even saw use. > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > If only 4% of Americans believed in creationism or intelligent design, that would be amazing. That particular question is one that be gamed like 20-30% depending on how you ask the question. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/18 "2018-04-07T00:00:18Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > … the earth is ellipsoid. More specifically, an ellipsoid of revolution, aka oblate spheroid. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/19 "2018-04-07T00:46:44Z")
No, no, NO!!! It’s shaped like a burrito! [![](http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6674/1214/1600/BloomCountyLooseTailsEvolutionpg37top.jpg) ](http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6674/1214/1600/BloomCountyLooseTailsEvolutionpg37top.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938/20 "2018-04-07T01:25:40Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > I couldnt believe this until the other day my 16 year old son came home and told me about how some kids on his bus were saying the earth was flat. > > And NOW we are supposed to trust them with a $100,000 loan for college? you’re just now figuring out 16 year old guys are idiots who say the dumbest shit ever? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-earth-round-or-flat-just-66-of-millennials-firmly-believe-that-the-earth-is-round/811938.md?page=2)