37% of Americans can't Identify America on map

[seanda]

Reason #1322 to homeschool

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-shehori/poll-37-of-americans-unab_b_150933.html

 

Washington, D.C. -- According to a Gallup/Harris poll released Monday, a full 37 percent of American citizens are incapable of identifying their home country on a map of the United States.

 

Of the 1,400 residents surveyed, the most common incorrect responses placed the more than 230-year-old territory in the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans (19 percent), the space where Mexico would appear were it in fact included on the map (10 percent), and inside the word "America" written just above the northernmost states (6 percent).

 

"On the whole, these figures should be construed as somewhat disappointing," Gallup spokesman Keith Ventner said. "Especially the two percent that believed the United States was located on the map's color-coded inset legend. I think we as a nation likely could have done without seeing that."

 

When asked to reveal the identity of the giant America-shaped landmass found on the map, several of those polled were decidedly varied in their answers.

 

"That thing definitely looked familiar," said autoworker and father of three Ed McConnell. "And my gut told me there were probably a whole bunch of Americans there. So I had to go with 'Iraq.'"

 

Other guesses as to the nature of the mystery country included "Hollywood," "Palestine," "The Shire," and "Club Med Punta Cana."

 

The map used in the poll, with erroneous America locations in red

 

Stuart Weiss, senior sociology professor at Boston College, said although these findings may be surprising to some, they're by no means atypical.

 

"The sentiment of many Americans is that there's little intrinsic value in studying a map of a place you're already at," noted Weiss. "It'd be like driving to Graceland and then asking for directions once you've arrived. Not much point."

 

Shirley Matheson, a part-time Arby's employee residing in Dayton, Ohio, agreed with Weiss's assessment. "I live in the U.S.A., so why would I need to know where America is? Or the United States for that matter?"

 

Added Matheson: "As long as there's still room on that map for all three of those countries, I'm sure everyone will keep getting along just fine."

 

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security sees the Gallup/Harris poll results as a blessing in disguise. According to Secretary Michael Chertoff, the nation would be better off if these numbers skewed even higher.

 

"Personally, I believe if fewer people in this world could spot America on a map, we'd have a much better chance of avoiding national tragedies like 9/11," said Chertoff. "You can't attack a country you can't find."

 

Of the respondents actually capable of pinpointing America on the map of America, their accuracy decreased considerably with each additional query about the country. Asked for the name of the U.S. capital, those polled placed Washington, D.C., fifth behind "Minneapolis-St. Paul," "Mount Rushmore," "America City," and "Whitewater."

 

Despite Americans' seemingly underdeveloped sense of their own geography, history and domestic policy, they did score high points on the issue of patriotism, calling America "the greatest country in the world" (47 percent), "the best state of all the Unites States" (31 percent), and "a place to definitely explore when I finally get my passport" (22 percent).

[newlifemom]

Egads!:eek:

[Scarlett]

Reason #1322 to homeschool

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-shehori/poll-37-of-americans-unab_b_150933.html

 

Washington, D.C. -- According to a Gallup/Harris poll released Monday, a full 37 percent of American citizens are incapable of identifying their home country on a map of the United States.

 

Of the 1,400 residents surveyed, the most common incorrect responses placed the more than 230-year-old territory in the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans (19 percent), the space where Mexico would appear were it in fact included on the map (10 percent), and inside the word "America" written just above the northernmost states (6 percent).

 

"On the whole, these figures should be construed as somewhat disappointing," Gallup spokesman Keith Ventner said. "Especially the two percent that believed the United States was located on the map's color-coded inset legend. I think we as a nation likely could have done without seeing that."

 

When asked to reveal the identity of the giant America-shaped landmass found on the map, several of those polled were decidedly varied in their answers.

 

"That thing definitely looked familiar," said autoworker and father of three Ed McConnell. "And my gut told me there were probably a whole bunch of Americans there. So I had to go with 'Iraq.'"

 

Other guesses as to the nature of the mystery country included "Hollywood," "Palestine," "The Shire," and "Club Med Punta Cana."

 

The map used in the poll, with erroneous America locations in red

 

Stuart Weiss, senior sociology professor at Boston College, said although these findings may be surprising to some, they're by no means atypical.

 

"The sentiment of many Americans is that there's little intrinsic value in studying a map of a place you're already at," noted Weiss. "It'd be like driving to Graceland and then asking for directions once you've arrived. Not much point."

 

Shirley Matheson, a part-time Arby's employee residing in Dayton, Ohio, agreed with Weiss's assessment. "I live in the U.S.A., so why would I need to know where America is? Or the United States for that matter?"

 

Added Matheson: "As long as there's still room on that map for all three of those countries, I'm sure everyone will keep getting along just fine."

 

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security sees the Gallup/Harris poll results as a blessing in disguise. According to Secretary Michael Chertoff, the nation would be better off if these numbers skewed even higher.

 

"Personally, I believe if fewer people in this world could spot America on a map, we'd have a much better chance of avoiding national tragedies like 9/11," said Chertoff. "You can't attack a country you can't find."

 

Of the respondents actually capable of pinpointing America on the map of America, their accuracy decreased considerably with each additional query about the country. Asked for the name of the U.S. capital, those polled placed Washington, D.C., fifth behind "Minneapolis-St. Paul," "Mount Rushmore," "America City," and "Whitewater."

 

Despite Americans' seemingly underdeveloped sense of their own geography, history and domestic policy, they did score high points on the issue of patriotism, calling America "the greatest country in the world" (47 percent), "the best state of all the Unites States" (31 percent), and "a place to definitely explore when I finally get my passport" (22 percent).

 

I don't get it...:confused: They showed Americans a map outline of the United States and asked them to identify their home country and they....???? identified those red dots? Is the article saying they didn't recognize the outline as being of the entire United States? Am I overthinking this? Or are people really that ignorant?

[homeschoolmom]

Scary...but....

 

Given their sample size based upon the population I wonder what other sampling errors were made. 1,400 respondents? That's insignificant considering the population of America is currently 305,890,607 as per the US Census Population Clock.

[seanda]

Yes, a limited sample size.. I must say I think it is likely representative. All polls show similar levels of ignorance that I have seen. And when I taught in the public schools, I had entire classes of 8th grade students that could not tell me what happened in 1776. Whole classes that did not know our nation's capital. I realize they were not adults but it was then that I decided my kids would not go to public schools.

[Perry]

No way. That's got to be from the Onion.

[seanda]

I hope it is a terrible hoax....it certainly would fit with the Onion... and it is on huffington. So it is possible. I hope so.

Edited December 16, 2008 by seanda

[Perry]

There is no one named Stuart Weiss at Boston College.

Gallup doesn't have a spokesman named Keith Ventner.

 

 

It's satire.

[Valerie in Chicago]

I remember getting those tests in high school. My friends & I threw them and intentionally answered incorrectly. Some of it was that we resented the test of itself, some of it was just being obnoxious kids.

[beansprouts]

I wonder who they voted for...

 

:leaving:

[Crissy]

No way. That's got to be from the Onion.

 

That was my exact thought! It reads just like an Onion article.

[dawn of ns]

I'm saying that's a piece of satire.

 

This quote clinches it:

 

Shirley Matheson, a part-time Arby's employee residing in Dayton, Ohio, agreed with Weiss's assessment. "I live in the U.S.A., so why would I need to know where America is? Or the United States for that matter?"

 

Added Matheson: "As long as there's still room on that map for all three of those countries, I'm sure everyone will keep getting along just fine."

[Jumping In Puddles]

Yes, it's satire. Look at the tags! Political Satire, Satire.

 

Problem is they didn't make it outlandish enough to be so obvious. :eek: :crying:

[Guest Lorna]

I think it is certainly a hoax. I mean 'The Shire' ?

[Soph the vet]

I always wanted to live in the capital city!

 

This has GOT to be a joke.

[LisaNY]

No way. That's got to be from the Onion.

 

I hope so, 'cuz that comment by "Homeland Security" would worry me quite a bit if it were true. :001_huh:

[SnowWhite]

Apparently, a note has been added for the gullible:

 

Editor's note: This post is a satire.

Washington, D.C. -- According to a Gallup/Harris poll released Monday, a full 37 percent of American citizens are incapable of identifying their home country on a map of the United States.

 

[Kathy in MD]

There is no one named Stuart Weiss at Boston College.

Gallup doesn't have a spokesman named Keith Ventner.

 

 

It's satire.

 

I've often wondered how many of these "stupid" American reports were either satire, or as another poster stated, were scewed because people purposely pretended to be stupid because they thought the questions were so dumb.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Apparently, a note has been added for the gullible:

 

There was a tipper in the bio: Steven Shehori is an award-winning comedy writer. And Canadian. He claims he can find America on a map.

 

But then, I really like the Rob Long columns in National Review and I could see them being taken as true.