Americans Flunk Simple 3-Question Political Survey

LiveScience.com ^ | 10/16/08 | LiveScience.com

[Artemis Webb]

Some news audiences are more politically savvy than others, according to a new poll, with readers of The New Yorker and similar high-brow magazines being the most knowledgeable.

The survey, conducted between April 30 and June 1 by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, measured the political knowledge of 3,612 U.S. adults. Participants were asked to name the controlling party of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. secretary of state and Great Britain's prime minister.

Overall, just 18 percent of participants answered all three questions correctly.

More than 50 percent of Americans knew that the Democrats have a majority in the House, while 42 percent could identify the secretary of state (Condoleezza Rice). Less than 30 percent could name the prime minister of Great Britain (Gordon Brown).

snip

Here's a detailed breakdown of the percentage of individuals answering each of the three questions correctly from the different news audiences:

The New Yorker/Atlantic: 71 percent (correctly identified Democrats as the majority in the House), 71 percent (correctly identified Condeleeza Rice), 59 percent (correctly identified Gordon Brown) NPR: 73 percent, 72 percent, 57percent Hannity & Colmes: 84 percent, 73 percent, 49 percent Rush Limbaugh: 83 percent, 71 percent, 41 percent Colbert Report: 73 percent, 65 percent, 49 percent Daily Show: 65 percent, 48 percent, 36 percent NewsHour: 66 percent, 52 percent, 47 percent O'Reilly Factor: 70 percent, 60 percent, 41 percent C-SPAN: 63 percent, 59 percent, 35 percent Letterman/Leno: 51 percent, 42 percent, 31 percent CNN: 59 percent, 48 percent, 29 percent National Enquirer: 44 percent, 32 percent, 22 percent

[mlocher]

Something tells me the Free Republic audience would have trounced all of these.

I would have missed the first question. I would have answered @$$ Holes.

[CholeraJoe]

The Constituency of the Democratic Party on the other almost all knew that Pouilly-Fuisse should be served with brie, St. Emilion with pate and iced Stoli with caviar.

[Blennos]

So the “mind-numbed” idiots in the Limbaugh audience are smarter than the elite who listen to NPR. I hope Rush sees this.

[jimmango]

I must be a genius.

As you are here on FR, I will agree.

[dilvish]

Why should Americans know who the prime minister of England is? Has Brown done anything that would even be vaguely interesting to people on this side of the Atlantic?

[Zman516]

I remembered Gordo because of his decision to kiss up to
Islamists by proclaiming that terrorism would no longer be mentioned.