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-=Cartoon=-
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 Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 09:28 Post subject: Half of young Americans can't find New York on a map. |
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http://www9.nationalgeographic.com/roper2006/findings.html
What We Found
Americans are far from alone in the world, but from the perspective of many young Americans, we might as well be. Most young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 demonstrate a limited understanding of the world, and they place insufficient importance on the basic geographic skills that might enhance their knowledge.
Download the complete survey and report (PDF)
Young Americans answer about half (54 percent) of all the survey questions correctly. But by and large, majorities of young adults fail at a range of questions testing their basic geographic literacy.
* Only 37% of young Americans can find Iraq on a map—though U.S. troops have been there since 2003.
* 6 in 10 young Americans don't speak a foreign language fluently.
* 20% of young Americans think Sudan is in Asia. (It's the largest country in Africa.)
* 48% of young Americans believe the majority population in India is Muslim. (It's Hindu—by a landslide.)
* Half of young Americans can't find New York on a map.
These results suggest that young people in the United States—the most recent graduates of our educational system—are unprepared for an increasingly global future. Far too many lack even the most basic skills for navigating the international economy or understanding the relationships among people and places that provide critical context for world events.
WHAT WE'RE DOING ABOUT IT
National Geographic and leading education, business, and nonprofit partners have launched My Wonderful World, a campaign to increase global learning in school, at home, and in the community. With the help of parents, teachers—and you—we can help give our youth the power of global knowledge. Because kids who understand our world today can succeed in it tomorrow.
About the Survey
The findings presented are the results of a face-to-face survey conducted from December 17, 2005, to January 20, 2006, by Roper Public Affairs and Media, a part of GfK NOP. Interviews were conducted among a nationwide representative sample of 510 adults age 18-24 in the continental United States. Data were weighted for sample balancing by sex and age. The margin of error for the total sample is +/- 4.4 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. The margin of error for subgroups is higher. Because of rounding, numbers may not total 100 percent.
This study is the latest in a series of surveys commissioned by the National Geographic Society. The most recent prior survey was conducted among nine nations in 2002. (See results of 2002 survey.)
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fraich3
Posts: 2907
Location: Not from my mouth!
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 10:23 Post subject: |
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Hurra for the No. 1 Superpower in the world! Just keep on sliding
"Zipfero is the biggest fucking golddigger ever" - Mutantius
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 10:33 Post subject: |
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I have met Americans who didn't even know where Canada is.
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deelix
PDIP Member
Posts: 32062
Location: Norway
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 10:37 Post subject: |
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Americans are stupid - junkfood and guns don't make smart people.
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 11:00 Post subject: |
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Some are smart and some are not.
There is a comic Rick Mercer. He goes down to the states and asks Americans really outlandish question about Canada, it was funny. He went to all the major Universities and it was shocking to hear the answers. Asked what they thought of BC getting its first paved road. Asked Geography students what they thought it was ok for Canada to use US waters for our navy considering that we are a Land Locked Country. LOL
But of course they would put all the dummies on tv not the smart ones.
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Mutantius
VIP Member
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 11:03 Post subject: |
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| deelix wrote: | | Americans are stupid - junkfood and guns don't make smart people. |
Generalization is just as stupid.
"Why don't you zip it, Zipfero?" - fraich3
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ollax
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 11:24 Post subject: |
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| Mutantius wrote: | | deelix wrote: | | Americans are stupid - junkfood and guns don't make smart people. |
Generalization is just as stupid. |
tecnichly it aint generalization, since the majority is the stupid part and the smart ones are the minority! Hence saying they are stupid is a statistic fact!
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"Ozzy Osbourne"
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Mutantius
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Location: In Elektro looking for beans
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 11:25 Post subject: |
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Well intelligence is not only determined on geographical & history knowledge.
"Why don't you zip it, Zipfero?" - fraich3
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 11:39 Post subject: |
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| Mutantius wrote: | | Well intelligence is not only determined on geographical & history knowledge. |
This is in no way specifical geographical knowledge, its just general knowledge.
You can expect that a person who doesnt know these simple things also lacks knowledge
in all other areas. |
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Mutantius
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Location: In Elektro looking for beans
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 11:42 Post subject: |
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I do agree on that, though still knowledge still doesnt equal Intelligence. Something certainly has gone wrong in the school system over there though.
"Why don't you zip it, Zipfero?" - fraich3
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 12:46 Post subject: |
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Yeah, our schools are failing horribly. Some people I know can't even say where Africa is ( they point to South America...you can't make this up.) Though they're more or less intelligent, so they're not idiots by any means.
[21:38] <chiz***> how do you "had" aids
[21:38] <Voyevoda> when you get it down to 1 aid
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deelix
PDIP Member
Posts: 32062
Location: Norway
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 13:05 Post subject: |
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Just got me thinking; my driving instructor asked a guy(traffic lesson-student) a traffic question, and then he said: "yeah, and what is it now(some traffic question i don't remember now)". But anyway it was like; "you have to multiply with 2". And the question was simply as 2 X 2... (4, no shit.)
But he said honestly to the driving instructor : "we haven't had about that this year at school, so i don't know"
Driving lessons.. so he was 16+
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nouseforaname
Über-VIP Member
Posts: 21306
Location: Toronto, Canada
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 16:39 Post subject: |
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I posted this in another thread yesterday, but it was a different article on the study, so it had a different emphasis ...
| Quote: | Poll Shows Many Can't Find La. on Map
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, Associated Press Writer Tue May 2, 10:06 AM ET
WASHINGTON - Despite the wall-to-wall coverage of the damage from Hurricane Katrina, nearly one-third of young Americans recently polled couldn't locate Louisiana on a map and nearly half were unable to identify Mississippi.
Among the findings:
• One-third of respondents couldn't pinpoint Louisiana on a map and 48 percent were unable to locate Mississippi.
• Fewer than three in 10 think it important to know the locations of countries in the news and just 14 percent believe speaking another language is a necessary skill.
• Two-thirds didn't know that the earthquake that killed 70,000 people in October 2005 occurred in Pakistan.
• Six in 10 could not find Iraq on a map of the Middle East.
• While the outsourcing of jobs to India has been a major U.S. business story, 47 percent could not find the Indian subcontinent on a map of Asia.
• While Israeli-Palestinian strife has been in the news for the entire lives of the respondents, 75 percent were unable to locate Israel on a map of the Middle East.
• Nearly three-quarters incorrectly named English as the most widely spoken native language.
• Six in 10 did not know the border between North and South Korea is the most heavily fortified in the world. Thirty percent thought the most heavily fortified border was between the United States and Mexico. |
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 17:24 Post subject: |
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Some of those facts aren't really general. With a map of the world i'd struggle to name every country in the middle east and africa. I'd do fairly well but given 1 chance to put a pin on it, I think I could possibly get it wrong.
Fewer than three in 10 think it important to know the locations of countries in the news and just 14 percent believe speaking another language is a necessary skill.
.... I don't see how either of these are wrong really. It's not a NECESSARY skill, sure it's good but you don't need it in your average workplace or daily life. If you didn't speak any other languages you'd still get by, just like you did before you were taught the second.
As for the states.. I couldn't name or pin point the counties in England so I don't know why it's such a big deal. Sure it's probably thrown in their faces all the time but it's still not that shocking / bad.
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_SiN_
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Posts: 12108
Location: Cybertron
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 17:27 Post subject: |
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I honestly SUCK at geography, but even I can point out New York!
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 18:17 Post subject: |
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_SiN_
Megatron
Posts: 12108
Location: Cybertron
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 18:59 Post subject: |
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Both, but i´m not certain on how the state looks on the map, not exactly.
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nouseforaname
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tiedie
Posts: 680
Location: Florida
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 19:37 Post subject: |
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most of the people who cant find NY on a map are hicks who live out in the sticks 50 miles away from anything
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kumkss
Posts: 4835
Location: Chile
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 20:42 Post subject: |
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i would say that americans have a hell of a civilization (i love it, its my style of life too), but they haven't any culture. (and those highlighted questions were about general culture, not an iq test).
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Macknu
Posts: 636
Location: Sweden
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 21:46 Post subject: |
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| kumkss wrote: | | i would say that americans have a hell of a civilization (i love it, its my style of life too), but they haven't any culture. (and those highlighted questions were about general culture, not an iq test). |
Geografy is general knowledge, not culture.
I suck at geografy, among the worst in my school but i can pinpoint most countrys down to atleast continent (the name of a country can say alot). And i have no problem finding some states and bigger cities in usa and big cities around the world and still i stink at geografy at our standards.
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 22:45 Post subject: |
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I think everyone should at least be able to point out the different Continents. Thats something you learn in grade 2. It's not always the school systems fault either. Parents need to take a more active role in teaching their kids. I think part of the problem is that to get by today, both parents need to work, or one is a single paren with 2 jobst. Parents are too tired and don't have enought time to be able to sit down ,and spend time teaching their own kids.
I have a lot of friends who are teachers here. I am under the impression that there are quite a few teachers in the states that don't even have degrees, depending on where you are teaching. Some of the inner cities the teaching conditions are so bad that no one wants the job and really the pay is shit? Here you have to have 2 degrees, and most go on to get their masters because a masters increases your pay. If I am wrong please someone correct me.
Part of me also thinks it's in the governments best interest to limit the education the public has. Its alot easier to control the people without education than those that have it.
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SycoShaman
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Location: Toronto, Canada
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 22:47 Post subject: |
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| pistolshrimp wrote: | | I have met Americans who didn't even know where Canada is. |
According to one of my cousins in california, you must be Asian because all people from British Columbia are Asian  She's 13
At first she thought all canadians were asian until her mother explained to her that thats not the way it is...she still thinks BC is like the 'asian province' of canada |
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nouseforaname
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 22:52 Post subject: |
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 23:22 Post subject: |
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It is always funny how you people think that geographical is important. In a large rich country most people will never leave their country or even state. So who cares about were the other countries are. And Who the hell wants to go to New York?
The three R's are all that matters.
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sTo0z
[Moderator] Babysitter
Posts: 7449
Location: USA
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 23:25 Post subject: |
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Shame there are only 1020 young Americans in this country, I forgot that 510 is half of them.
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Mutantius
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Location: In Elektro looking for beans
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 23:26 Post subject: |
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| YourGod wrote: | It is always funny how you people think that geographical is important. In a large rich country most people will never leave their country or even state. So who cares about were the other countries are. And Who the hell wants to go to New York?
The three R's are all that matters. |
Im speechless...
"Why don't you zip it, Zipfero?" - fraich3
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 23:35 Post subject: |
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How does knowing where other countries are, matters? For a kid it is useless info, When they get older and want to learn then great, But who cares when you are young.
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fraich3
Posts: 2907
Location: Not from my mouth!
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 23:37 Post subject: |
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| YourGod wrote: | | How does knowing were other countries are, matter? For a kid it is useless info, When they get older and want to learn then great, But who cares when you are young. |
You stating that you want to create a overprotected youth with abosolutly no idea whats going on ?
Closing the world for kids when not givin them the knowledge is just.. dont have words for it..
"Zipfero is the biggest fucking golddigger ever" - Mutantius
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| Posted: Wed, 3rd May 2006 23:40 Post subject: |
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Knowing were other countries are is useless info. You small countries might need to know because your country is crappy and you want to move. Not many Americans move to other countries. That is what maps are for.
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