Americans are Almost as Ignorant as Italians

[wiking]

Way to Go, Americans: We’re Almost as Ignorant as Italians
By Tom Randall Oct 31, 2014
It’s quiz time, people. Let’s start with an easy one: What percentage of working-age Americans are unemployed and looking for work?

If you guessed about 6 percent, give yourself a pat on the back. You have a pretty good understanding of the unemployment rate, one of the basic measures of economic well-being. If, on the other hand, you guessed 32 percent -- which would rank America among the most desperate nations on Earth -- then you guessed just like the average American!

That’s one of the findings of a survey released this week by U.K. pollster Ipsos Mori, which interviewed 11,527 people. In the 14-country Index of Ignorance (Ipsos Mori's name, but we approve), Americans are second only to Italians in how little we understand some of the stats that track the most basic contours of our society.

Ready for more? Try these:

What percentage of the U.S. population identifies as Muslim?
Americans guessed: 15%
Reality: 1%

What percentage of the population do you think are immigrants to America?
Americans guessed: 32%
Reality: 13%

Do you think this statement is true or false: The murder rate is rising in America
70 percent of Americans guessed: True
Reality: False

Here’s a question that every country got wrong by a wide margin:

What percentage of American girls aged between 15 and 19 years give birth each year?
Americans guessed: 23.9%
Reality: 3.1%

This is a tricky one. I suspect most people ignore the “each year” part and instead guess what percentage of women get pregnant at any point during their teenage years. But that’s part of the point: the phrasing above is exactly what’s meant by “teen pregnancy rate,” which is often bandied about but rarely explained. If the annual pregnancy rate really were 23.9 percent, the average American woman would have more than one child by the age of 20, and the U.S. population would probably be closer to that of China.

Here’s the ranking of countries on the Index of Ignorance, with the most fabulously ignorant at top:

1. Italy
2. U.S.
3. South Korea
4. Poland
5. Hungary
6. France
7. Canada
8. Belgium
9. Australia
10. Great Britain
11. Spain
12. Japan
13. Germany
14. Sweden

Click here to take the full quiz and see how your ignorance of basic numbers in the news stacks up with the ignorance of other nations.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-3 ... ians-.html

[socksy]

Thailand is where in this?

[Sport]

Thailand is where in this?

Wondering that myself Ian along with all other Asian countries............And Russia. Australia at #9, crap, some pretty smart people in Oz. Just another load of bile to rubbish the USA and was written up by an American. A great country over there and ar.eholes want to rubbish it.

[macca46]

How did the Netherlands not even get a mention?

[glalt]

Perhaps stupid is a better description. They elected Obama for a second term.

[stattointhailand]

Perhaps stupid is a better description. They elected Obama for a second term.

That's not a patch on the Brits with that one glait ..... they elected THATCHER

[socksy]

Followed by a glut of incompetent twats and we all know who they were

[seagulls]

Well here is a challenge .Ask any American "Who are the World champions of Baseball ? He will not Know
that the true world champions of Baseball are the Dominican Republic followed by Puerto Rico ,Japan and
the Netherlands .The USA were eliminated in the second round . Like the Olympics this true world tournament
is played every four years the next being in 2017 . For some unknown reason the North American domestic
tournament is also called a "World ' series but the USA is the only Country participating !!! Nothing like living
in ones own "World" and confusing everyone .
Harpman (Rod)

[Turdyboy]

Really?
Any American?
Are you sure?
Sounds like a dubious claim.
Do you have any proof or did you just pull that one out of your dirty blurter?

[seagulls]

Oh Dear and quite obviously YOU didn't know either did you ? I suppose in a way the North Korean propaganda
is analogous to the American one .The North Korean media claimed to have won the "World cup Soccer and indeed
did broadcast their team beating Germany in the final !!! Very similar to domestic sports teams in the US claiming
to be World Champions when in fact they are not .Of course the Kids believe this BS and have Tee shirts to prove it.
Funny in away but Sad ,

[Shado]

For some unknown reason the North American domestic tournament is also called a "World ' series but the USA is the only Country participating !!! Nothing like living in ones own "World" and confusing everyone .

These kind of posts show up on the forum every year during the MLB Championship Series (World Series). They will show up again next year. They always do.

[papafarang]

the American world series is named after a newspaper that I think is now just history. Dominican Republic that's . . wonder why America got knocked out ? perhaps their not good enough to play outside America...its a mad world . does America have a national team ?

[Turdyboy]

San Francisco Giants. Weouwd Sewies Champs! Congratulations San Fran, and happy halloween!

[merchant seaman]

More than 30% of the players playing proffessional baseball in the U.S. were born outside the U.S. apparently they aren't good enough to play outside America either.

[kopkei]

baseball ? same as cricket boring , boring , as of the original inhabitants of america ? these normally were indians , so all the rest is import...the real american almost doesn't exist anymore...

[stattointhailand]

If you don't like everyone taking the p*ss EVERY year, the answer is very simple ..... change the name of the tinpot competition to the the WORLD NEWSPAPER SERIES

[Shado]

I, for one, never said I didn't like everyone taking a p*ss EVERY year. I commented only on the predictability of such posts. The statement about the series being named after a newspaper is simply incorrect.

"[O]thers have asked that question of the staff at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. in recent weeks. "There's no evidence suggesting it was ever sponsored by the New York World newspaper," said Hall of Fame researcher Eric Enders. When the World Series between the National and American leagues began in 1903, the owners borrowed the name from the world championship series held in the 1880s between the National League and the American Association. Enders concludes the name didn't originate from the name of the long-defunct newspaper. It sounds like an urban myth."
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/business/names/wo ... CyyvZQi.99

A name change from "World Series" would be fine with me. The MLB Championship Series is descriptive enough. It's possible that Major League Baseball (MLB) may entertain the idea of a name change the future. It is not very probable though just because of the history and tradition associated with the game.

[Turdyboy]

Good post, Shado. There is also extra value added in leaving the name unchanged because it affords us to witness the same posters squirming and honking about it every year like they've just been dealt a horrible, unspeakable insult. I may pen a letter to MLB tomorrow suggesting they leave the name as it is -- in the off chance they were considering changing it.

[Laan Yaa Mo]

No need to change it. Maybe Detroit can win the World Series next year.

[jai yen yen]

Way to Go, Americans: We’re Almost as Ignorant as Italians
By Tom Randall Oct 31, 2014
It’s quiz time, people. Let’s start with an easy one: What percentage of working-age Americans are unemployed and looking for work?

If you guessed about 6 percent, give yourself a pat on the back. You have a pretty good understanding of the unemployment rate, one of the basic measures of economic well-being. If, on the other hand, you guessed 32 percent -- which would rank America among the most desperate nations on Earth -- then you guessed just like the average American!

That’s one of the findings of a survey released this week by U.K. pollster Ipsos Mori, which interviewed 11,527 people. In the 14-country Index of Ignorance (Ipsos Mori's name, but we approve), Americans are second only to Italians in how little we understand some of the stats that track the most basic contours of our society.

Ready for more? Try these:

What percentage of the U.S. population identifies as Muslim?
Americans guessed: 15%
Reality: 1%

What percentage of the population do you think are immigrants to America?
Americans guessed: 32%
Reality: 13%

Do you think this statement is true or false: The murder rate is rising in America
70 percent of Americans guessed: True
Reality: False

Here’s a question that every country got wrong by a wide margin:

What percentage of American girls aged between 15 and 19 years give birth each year?
Americans guessed: 23.9%
Reality: 3.1%

This is a tricky one. I suspect most people ignore the “each year” part and instead guess what percentage of women get pregnant at any point during their teenage years. But that’s part of the point: the phrasing above is exactly what’s meant by “teen pregnancy rate,” which is often bandied about but rarely explained. If the annual pregnancy rate really were 23.9 percent, the average American woman would have more than one child by the age of 20, and the U.S. population would probably be closer to that of China.

Here’s the ranking of countries on the Index of Ignorance, with the most fabulously ignorant at top:

1. Italy
2. U.S.
3. South Korea
4. Poland
5. Hungary
6. France
7. Canada
8. Belgium
9. Australia
10. Great Britain
11. Spain
12. Japan
13. Germany
14. Sweden

Click here to take the full quiz and see how your ignorance of basic numbers in the news stacks up with the ignorance of other nations.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-3 ... ians-.html

These results are from every country in the world, if so I say bs.