AdamSmith Posted February 15, 2014 Posted February 15, 2014 Not, distressingly, a piece from 'The Onion.' One in four Americans 'do not know the Earth circles the Sun' Over a quarter of Americans do not know the Earth circles the Sun, according to a new survey Copernican sun-centred (Heliocentric) system of universe Photo: ALAMY Barney Henderson telegraph.co.uk 10:30AM GMT 15 Feb 2014 One in four Americans are completely unfamiliar with Nicolaus Copernicus's 1543 theory that the Earth circles the Sun, according to a study by the National Science Foundation. The survey, released on Friday at an annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, asked 2,200 people nine factual questions about physical and biological science, with the average score being just 5.8 correct answers. The question - "Does the Earth go around the Sun, or does the Sun go around the Earth" - was answered incorrectly by 26 per cent of respondents. Fewer than half of the respondents - 48 per cent - are aware that humans evolved from earlier species of animals and just 39 percent answered correctly that "the universe began with a huge explosion". A total of 42 per cent of Americans said that astrology is either "very scientific" or "sort of scientific". Belief in astrology over science seems to be growing. In 2004, 66 per cent of Americans thought astrology was nonsense. "Fewer Americans rejected astrology in 2012 than in recent years," the 2014 Science and Engineering Indicators report said. "The comparable percentage has not been this low since 1983." In contrast, a study in China has shown that 92 per cent of people there believe horoscopes are unscientific. John Besley of Michigan State University, the lead author of the report's chapter on public attitudes toward science, said there is a need to wait "to see if it's a real change" before assessing the significance of the results, but that the data "popped out to me when I saw it". One in three respondents said science should get more funding from the government. On a more encouraging note, nearly 90 per cent said the benefits of science outweigh any dangers, and about the same number expressed interest in learning about medical discoveries. The study also asked people to state their primary sources of information. The results showed a decline in television and newspapers as a source for information on both current news events and science and technology since 2001 and an increase in the internet. In 2001, 53 per cent of people said television was their primary source for current news events, 30 per cent said newspapers and seven per cent said the internet. In 2012, that had changed to 44 per cent for television, 14 per cent for newspapers and 34 per cent the internet. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10640518/One-in-four-Americans-do-not-know-the-Earth-circles-the-Sun.html Quote
AdamSmith Posted February 15, 2014 Author Posted February 15, 2014 Americans surveyed: misunderstood, misrepresented or ignorant? Following the results of the poll suggesting a quarter of Americans do not know the Earth circles the Sun, we look at some other examples of surprising US survey results A National Geographic poll of over 500 young Americans, aged 18 to 24, showed that six per cent failed to locate their own country on a map of the world Photo: ALAMY By Harry Alsop telegraph.co.uk 2:45PM GMT 15 Feb 2014 When Newsweek set 1,000 Americans the challenge of completing their country’s citizenship test, 29 percent could not name the current vice president (Joe Biden), and almost three quarters could not correctly say why America fought the Cold War. Six per cent could not remember the date of Independence Day. A blind telephone survey of over 1,000 Americans, carried out by the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum (a museum dedicated to the first amendment), found that more Americans could identify more members of the Simpsons cartoon family than first amendment rights. The first amendment rights guarantee freedom of religion, free speech, free press, association, and the ability to petition government. But only one in a thousand correctly identified all of these. Just one in four Americans could name more than one of their rights, while the same number could name all five members of the Simpson family. Americans fared even worse on international issues. A National Geographic poll of over 500 young Americans, aged 18 to 24, showed that six per cent failed to locate their own country on a map of the world. Among those with a high school education or less, the figure was one in ten. Only one in three could find Great Britain on a map. In the same group, two thirds of the respondents estimated the population of the US at between 750 million and two billion (actual figure: 298 million). Three quarters said English was the most commonly spoken native language in the world. It is actually third, behind Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. There is an old joke that war was invented to teach Americans geography, but that no longer seems to be true. In the same National Geographic poll, conducted three years after the Iraq War began, only 37 per cent of young Americans could find Iraq on a map of the Middle East. The same percentage could point out Saudi Arabia. Only one in four could locate Israel or Iran. Even among college students, only 23 per cent found all four countries. Two years after the Iraq War began, 70 per cent of Americans still believed Saddam Hussein was personally involved in the 9/11 attacks, according to a Washington Post survey. Eight out of ten believed he had already developed weapons of mass destruction. In a 2009 study by the European Journal of Communication, citizens from Britain, Denmark, Finland and the US answered questions on international affairs. The US respondents consistently finished last behind their European peers when asked to identify key words from recent news. Just 58 per cent of Americans could describe the Taliban, compared with 75 per cent of Britons. Of course, surveys with a low sample size are easy to manipulate, and can give wildly inaccurate claims about public opinion. However, the authorities are worried by the public’s lack of interest in key international events. In 2003, a US Strategic Task Force of Education Abroad report concluded that America’s ignorance of the outside world was so great as to constitute a threat to national security. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10640690/Americans-surveyed-misunderstood-misrepresented-or-ignorant.html Quote
Members RA1 Posted February 15, 2014 Members Posted February 15, 2014 As a charter member of the Flat Earth Society, I can attest that so far I have never flown off the edge of the Earth although many times I have thought that I might. There are many opportunities to do so. Whilst in the "far reaches" of the Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific Ocean or the Indian Ocean, one can "easily" see the ends of the Earth or so it seems. Personally I would like to explore other oceans to see what ends might be there. That includes the Antarctic Ocean as well as the North Sea. So many opportunities and so little time. Best regards, RA1 Quote
Members Suckrates Posted February 15, 2014 Members Posted February 15, 2014 WHY do we really NEED to know this ? Some things in life JUST ARE, and personally I dont care why. I have never been at a dinner party where this subject came up..... Maybe knowing it makes for a better, well rounded person, but being ROUND isnt my desire ! Quote
Members MsGuy Posted February 15, 2014 Members Posted February 15, 2014 One would think a "Wise, All-Knowing Cocksucker" would have at least a passing interest in this (admittedly boring) stuff. Quote
Members Suckrates Posted February 15, 2014 Members Posted February 15, 2014 One would think a "Wise, All-Knowing Cocksucker" would have at least a passing interest in this (admittedly boring) stuff. I never indicated WHAT I was All knowing about, now Did I ? Why clutter your limited amout of brain cells with useless stuff ? I need my brain cells to record all the cock sizes I cum across...... You wouldnt expect less of me, now would U Missy ? Quote
Members lookin Posted February 15, 2014 Members Posted February 15, 2014 In 2003, a US Strategic Task Force of Education Abroad report concluded that America’s ignorance of the outside world was so great as to constitute a threat to national security. Perhaps they should send all us dumb folks to Guantanamo. Just as long as we could watch a little TV. AdamSmith 1 Quote
Members Theolover Posted February 16, 2014 Members Posted February 16, 2014 not sure what to think about this.... Quote
Members TampaYankee Posted February 16, 2014 Members Posted February 16, 2014 Not, distressingly, a piece from 'The Onion.' One in four Americans 'do not know the Earth circles the Sun' Over a quarter of Americans do not know the Earth circles the Sun, according to a new survey The GOP base. Don't forget: the age of the Earth, evolution, climate change, where Obama was born... the list goes on and on. AdamSmith 1 Quote
