Only 71% Americans can locate Pacific Ocean on a map

Forbes ^ | May 12, 2003 Issue | Paul Recer

[yankeedame]

Survey Says

A National Geographic study released [in November] found that only about one in seven Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 could find Iraq [on a map]. Although 58% knew that the Taliban and al Qaeda were based in Afghanistan, only 17% could find that country.

The survey asked 56 geographic and current events questions of young people in nine countries.

Americans got an average of 23 correct answers. Mexico ranked last with an average score of 21. Topping the scoring was Sweden, with an average of 40, followed by Germany and Italy, each with 38.

Other findings: When asked to find 10 specific states on a map of the U.S., only California and Texas could be located by a large majority. Only 51% could find New York.

On a world map, Americans could find on average only 7 of 16 countries in the quiz. Only 89% of the Americans surveyed could find their own country.

Only 71% of the surveyed Americans could locate the Pacific Ocean.

--Paul Recer, Associated Press

(And, while we're on the subject this from USA Today/Forbes)

"No idea in politics has hurt children more than the false and misleading idea that the quality of education is determined by how much we spend.

"More than 35 years after Congress passed the first Elementary and Secondary Education Act, public school spending per pupil has more than doubled--even when adjusted for inflation--from $3,331 in 1965-1966 to $8,194 in 2000-2001.

" In fact, the federal government has spent more than $321 billion on education programs since 1965. Every year, spending on K-12 education by all levels of government exceeds $400 billion.

"Yet, citizens must ask, what have we gotten for all this? Fewer than a third of fourth-graders can read proficiently.

"No, the problem isn't--and never has been--money alone. This is just the most tired of all excuses. If there is no account-ability, or schools use unproven fads for instruction, it doesn't matter how much money is thrown at a problem; it will be wasted."

--Rod Paige, Secretary of Education

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.

[wideawake]

I'm not sure why a knowledge of geography is essential to technological innovation - but the simple fact is that America is a meritocracy and has always produced as many intelligent and well-educated people as it needs.

Global geography is almost entirely irrelevant to many people's daily lives - but if you quizzed the same people on the geography of their tri-county area, I'm sure there is an encyclopedia of information in their heads.

Americans are biased toward practicality, always have been and always will be.

[ArneFufkin]

Sure, their knowledge has decrased 33% ... from ""DiddlySquat-and-a-half" down to plain "Diddly Squat."

But there's good news! They are meticulously prepared and trained in the event they need to use a dental dam. They also know how and where to turn their parents in for re-education should they be ordered as such by the Green Gods of the mystic Olympic Vegan Lesbo.

[Paul Ross]

Only 89% of the Americans surveyed could find their own country.

So 11% are complete retards. Likely vote RAT too. But on the QT--Just what makes them so sure they were polling REAL Americans, and not a bunch of Sudanese and other 'guest' aliens????

[areafiftyone]

Oh thank you - now I can grajeate! whooo hooo!! Yippee!! ;-)

[Perspicac]

I am betting that many of those who took the survey did in fact know where the Pacific was but were either too annoyed by the survey to fill in the correct answers or thought it would be humorous to fill in the wrong answers. America is a capitalist country and as such we would only fill out the survey correctly if we knew there was to be some type of reward for correct answers. Unlike Europeans, Americans work for the practical and sensible not just answering questions for the sake of an ideal.

[AmericanInTokyo]

I don't doubt it (the poll, that is).

I and friends have many vignettes of returning to the US for stateside leave and what not, and letting slip, in the supermarket checkout line or at a pub, that we had lived or worked overseas. Some of the comments in return were ridiculous. (Such as "do they have TV and stuff in Japan?", or "How long to drive from Tokyo to Hong Kong?". It's rather appalling. At one point, on 'home leave' back in the US, I had to explain to one of our office assistants, using a flashlight and an orange and darkening the room, that the world was in fact ROUND! and that meant when it was DAY in the USA, it was the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT in Japan, and to make my point NOT to call me at home with routine business at 3:00 a.m. She said, "Oh, so you mean it's different times in different places?" This was a high school graduate talking.

I agree with many conservative (and some liberal) lawmakers who say that this is not good for an informed public, and also a lack of knowledge of our own American History/Traditions, and Constitution, are also disgraces and can be dangerous.

[mhking]

It's out there.....thataway....

"Hold muh beer 'n watch this!" PING....

If you want on or off this list, please let me know!

[ArneFufkin]

I thought we blew up the Pacific Ocean in '45

[jwalburg]

I know who can fix this,... the NEA. All we need to do is pay them 75,000 per student per year for a decade or so, and in no time they'll have that number down to 65%.

You mean down to 81 percent

[mewzilla]

I mean polls in general. How accurate can they be if they're asking people, for example, about foreign policy when these same folks can find their own country on a map? That's why public opinion polls don't do much for me. Look at what they're polling...

[AmericanInTokyo]

OK, I can see your point.

[PA Engineer]

Link to Test

[mewzilla]

And it's not just a matter of teaching, I think. With so much info available everywhere, it's darn hard to remain ignorant. Unless you want to. We don't need to improve education so much as we need to stigmatize willful ignorance.

[Kerberos]

"the federal government has spent more than $321 billion on education programs since 1965. Every year, spending on K-12 education by all levels of government exceeds $400 billion. "

Ok I'll bite. If we have spent more than 321 billion since 1965, how is it that we are spending 400 billion per year? Seeing how 400 billion exceeds 321 billion. For that to be true, going back to 1965 shouldn't the number be a little over 15 trillion?

[So Cal Rocket]

Wouldn't you love to see the poll data broken down into 3 segments:

1) Public school students
2) Private school students
3) Home school student

[tcostell]

Well down and up are really very antiquated and subjective terms in an modern educational setting. Who can really say which is better.

But we at the NEA are pretty confident about that $75,000 per student number.

[Paul Ross]

spending on K-12 education by all levels of government exceeds $400 billion.

The $321 billion figure was just the Federal contribution since 1965, which is infinitesimal next to the State and Local levels.

[Uncle Miltie]

Good argument for vouchers.

[Grampa Dave]

That 29% is the future political base of the Rats. They have been dumbed down in the left wing controlled schools. So they will listen to the Hildebea$t and believe her outrageous lies.

Then, they will vote for her and other rats while spending their miserable hating conservatives for what the rats did to them.