# Young US adults lagging in geography skills **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 4, 2004, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456 "2004-10-04T13:41:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/1 "2004-10-04T13:41:01Z")
I just read this: > [@](#): > > [Survey Reveals Geographic Illiteracy](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/11/1120_021120_GeoRoperSurvey.html) > Survey Results: U.S. Young Adults Are Lagging > > Despite the daily bombardment of news from the Middle East, Central Asia, and other world trouble spots, roughly 85 percent of young Americans could not find Afghanistan, Iraq, or Israel on a map, according to a new study. > > Americans ages 18 to 24 came in next to last among nine countries in the National Geographic-Roper 2002 Global Geographic Literacy Survey, which quizzed more than 3,000 young adults in Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, and the United States. Top scorers were young adults in Sweden, Germany, and Italy. > > Out of 56 questions that were asked across all countries surveyed, on average young Americans answered 23 questions correctly. Others outside the U.S., most notably young adults in Mexico, also struggled with basic geography facts. Young people in Canada and Great Britain fared almost as poorly as those in the U.S. > > Among young Americans’ startling knowledge gaps, the study found that > > • nearly 30 percent of those surveyed could not find the Pacific Ocean, the world’s largest body of water; > > • more than half—56 percent—were unable to locate India, home to 17 percent of people on Earth; and > > • only 19 percent could name four countries that officially acknowledge having nuclear weapons. > > Several perhaps interrelated factors affected performance—educational experience (including taking a geography course), international travel and language skills, a varied diet of news sources, and Internet use. Americans who reported that they accessed the Internet within the last 30 days scored 65 percent higher than those who did not. There’s a 20 question test that site visitors can take, and I sighed with relief that I got 19 of them right. However, I’ll admit that I guessed on 3 of them, and 2 were correct guesses. The 2 guesses I got right were chosen by a process of elimination (can’t be that country, or that, or that, must be this, and was right), and I’m shocked that I had to guess, because geography was one of my favorite subjects. The one question I got wrong was “Which of the following religions has the largest number of followers worldwide?” but I still think it was a trick question. :dubious: It’s been a long long time since I’ve been in school, and when I went, geography was a separate subject. Is it not anymore? Would children still in school have a better chance than some young adults who’ve forgotten everything they ever learned about geography? ---
**Author:** ![Iceland\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@Iceland\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iceland_Blue)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/2 "2004-10-04T13:49:53Z")
20/20 :d ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/3 "2004-10-04T14:01:47Z")
\Surveys have been reporting the same results for decades (literally – IIRC, a survey prior to WWI gave similar results), yet the US manages to muddle through. It’s really not that big an issue. People have been complaining about the lowered quality of eduction in the US for decades. Somehow we manage. ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/4 "2004-10-04T14:05:14Z")
19/20 I missed the religion question. I still think that one is “iffy.” Regards Testy ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/5 "2004-10-04T14:09:17Z")
20/20 > [@Equipoise](#): > > […] but I still think it was a trick question. :dubious: What do you mean? ---
**Author:** ![Ithaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Ithaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ithaka)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/6 "2004-10-04T14:22:12Z")
20/20. Easily. No guesses. Some of the results are embarrassing, from right round the world but particularly the States. You can excuse it all you want or say it doesn’t matter but I’d be ashamed. And how is the religion question iffy or a trick? It’s a fact, plain and simple. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/7 "2004-10-04T14:22:26Z")
19 out of 20 - I had trouble finding Sweden. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > \Surveys have been reporting the same results for decades (literally – IIRC, a survey prior to WWI gave similar results), yet the US manages to muddle through. It’s really not that big an issue. > > People have been complaining about the lowered quality of eduction in the US for decades. Somehow we manage. For me, managing isn’t enough. How can it be okay for us to settle for “just barely good enough”? Maybe I set my standards too high, but I’d like for the country to offer the finest education possible, not just the one that gets people to the point of muddling through. ---
**Author:** ![Genghis\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/45deac/32.png) [@Genghis\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genghis_Bob)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/8 "2004-10-04T14:40:13Z")
20/20 (woo-hoo!). Sweden gave me a scare; the rest were easy. ---
**Author:** ![Spree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@Spree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spree)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/9 "2004-10-04T14:53:11Z")
19/20, and I got hung up on the religion question. All of my geography knowledge has been self-taught. I never, ever had a class in geography in school. I am 32, so I was in school during the 80s in Texas, and to my knowledge, geography wasn’t even offered as an elective in my school. (And not to sound snotty, but I was on the honors track, where they try to pour as much college prep into you as they can.) Geography was supposedly taught in social studies, but that was in middle school only (none in high school) and the teaching consisted of having us color a map every week or so. I have no idea if they’re teaching it these days or not. So, yes, I had an absolute and complete lack of geographical knowledge that was embarrassing, so I bought a textbook and learned it on my own. The only reason I did so well on that quiz is because it really was pretty easy (side note: why do these tests always ask us to identify Italy? It’s the easiest one!). Any more difficulty and I would have done much worse. ---
**Author:** ![Gest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Gest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gest)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/10 "2004-10-04T14:54:49Z")
Chuck, it’s true you guys have muddled along for years. You’ll probably continue to muddle on for years more too. The problem is that an ignorant electorate in a democracy will tend to choose a pretty horrible government. Ignorance isn’t the only thing that allows bad government, it’s not even prerequisite, but it is a big help. Possibly, you believe knowledge of backward shitholes like the Mid-East or Africa are of little use or relevance to Americans but I think some Americans are starting to realise the people should have kept a closer eye on what your government was doing in places like that through the last couple of decades. Anyway, I got 20/20 too but I’d like to see a similar test limited to US geography. I suspect the results would be similar to those of the international version. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/11 "2004-10-04T14:55:43Z")
20 of 20 no sweat. And these are bare-basics of physical and human geography. If the complaint about the religion question is based on that this is not expected of a “geography” class, well, it _is_. Human a.k.a. Cultural geography relies on anthropological data as much as physical geography does on topographical mapping – the kind of thing that explains the movements of populations and why certain activities take place in certain places, and why some countries are founded where they are and some borders are not natural, e.g. the very existence of a Pakistan. Otherwise i do not know what would be dodgy about the question. > [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > 19 out of 20 - I had trouble finding Sweden. The survey shows that you’re not alone, it was one of the hardest-to-find ones. Seems like the land of the SAAB, Ikea and ABBA has to launch an invasion of somewhere soon, to get back in the headlines. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/12 "2004-10-04T15:13:19Z")
20/20. I agree with **JRDelerious** , I see these as pretty basic knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/13 "2004-10-04T15:19:32Z")
I always get the blond-people countries up there mixed up too, but the numbers given in the multiple choice were for countries all over the place. Christianity always throws people. Gotta remember to count all them Orthodox and Lutherans and stuff, I guess. Islam is coming up but we had a 600-year headstart. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/14 "2004-10-04T15:21:57Z")
By the way, is it wrong for me to admit that the only reason I knew the answer to the Kashmir question is because I watch the West Wing? ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/15 "2004-10-04T15:27:34Z")
20/20. I didn’t thought it was pretty easy, but then I probably couldn’t name the state captials of the USA…but hey, how many Americans could name the counties of Ireland? ---
**Author:** ![Ithaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Ithaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ithaka)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/16 "2004-10-04T15:33:59Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > By the way, is it wrong for me to admit that the only reason I knew the answer to the Kashmir question is because I watch the West Wing? Hey, knowledge is knowledge, whatever the source. ---
**Author:** ![Kymodoce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8797f3/32.png) [@Kymodoce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kymodoce)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/17 "2004-10-04T15:39:28Z")
19/20… that pesky religious question. I think people may be confused a little by that question due to statements of fact like this: > [@](#): > > With over 1.1 billion adherents, Islam is the world’s most popular single religion. > > Following Islam, Catholicism, Hinduism, Protestantism, and Buddhism round out the top five. > > However, there are almost 2 billion Christians in the world - divided into several subsets of Christianity. > > Almost one billion people (one-sixth the world’s population) are agnostic, atheists, or indifferent to religion. From here: [http://geography.about.com/library/faq/blqzreligion.htm](http://geography.about.com/library/faq/blqzreligion.htm) Whilst with a little thought it is obvious that the sects of christianity need to be added together to get the total, I for one slipped up. Apart from this question, I found the rest simple, despite finding the numbers on the map very small! ---
**Author:** ![Genghis\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/45deac/32.png) [@Genghis\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genghis_Bob)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/18 "2004-10-04T15:47:47Z")
Sympathetic Dad here. My 16-year-old has the Family Guy first season. Mrs. Bob and I have watched most of it, and loved it. It’s irreverent, profane, absurd – all the good stuff. That said, we won’t let the 13-year-old watch it. There’ll be plenty of time for her to wallow in it, \*after \* she’s been properly exposed to all that stuff on the street, where kids are supposed to be exposed to it. We console her by letting her watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail, so long as someone is there to cover her ears during three seconds of the Castle Anthrax scene. ---
**Author:** ![Genghis\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/45deac/32.png) [@Genghis\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genghis_Bob)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/19 "2004-10-04T15:49:25Z")
Sorry, folks, my last post was intended for another thread. ---
**Author:** ![Kymodoce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8797f3/32.png) [@Kymodoce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kymodoce)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456/20 "2004-10-04T15:51:23Z")
> [@Genghis Bob](#): > > Sorry, folks, my last post was intended for another thread. A simple geography error on your part? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/young-us-adults-lagging-in-geography-skills/267456.md?page=2)