xxx

<BR>I'm the middle of taking the 20 question quiz. Got one wrong already; have to admit that I thought Islam had more followers than Christianity (maybe it just has more crazed &amp; misogynistic followers.) <BR><BR>The one I loved was question #4: &quot;Which of the following organizations endorses the euro as the common currency for its members?&quot;<BR><BR>. World Trade Organization (WTO)<BR>. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)<BR>. European Union (EU)<BR>. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)<BR>. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)<BR>. I Don’t Know<BR> <BR>Now, one would THINK that 18-24 years olds would have at least a shred of logical thinking in their brains so that, even if they weren't taught it in school, they might reasonably see the connection between &quot;euro&quot; in the question, and &quot;Euro&quot; in European Union. <BR><BR>18-24 year olds in the U.S. ranked the loweest, with only 44% getting this right. So I'm not so sure the U.S. merely has an education problem; it seems like it must also have a logical thinking problem. Unless, of course, 18-24 year olds in the U.S. are more suspicious than 18-24 year olds elsewhere and thought the fact that &quot;euro&quot; was in the question and &quot;Euro&quot;pean Union was one of the answers was a trick. <BR>

Embarrassed

If those results are accurate, that is truly disturbing. I can't believe that only 58% of Americans knew that the Taliban and Al Qaeda were based in Afghanistan. The problem in this country is that our uneducated drop out dopes breed like rabbits starting when they are 16 and 17 while those who are educated breed when in their late 20's and 30's. The dopes have 10 kids who in turn each have 10 kids when they are 16 and 17. We are producing 2 generations of dopes for every 1 with any common sense!!

Julie

Most people seem to be focusing on the U.S. respondents. However, if you look at the percentages who answered correctly on various questions, it shows an serious lack of knowledge amongst young people in many countries. Its seems far too many of the world's young people are ignorant not just of geography but current events and general knowledge about the world.

Embarrassed

Ask the American students how many points you get for running down a pedestrian in Grand Theft Auto and I bet they would do much better. Or ask them how many bones Johnny Knoxville had broken last year. We would do well with that too. Seriously, US kids need to be beaten more. Parents too. Beatings for everyone!!

Sue

Missed only the religion question; seems like a lot of us with that apparent(?) misconception.

letuspray

Here's what I found using a google search - First of all, statistics of the world's religions are only very rough approximations. Secondly christianity is the only religion that seriously tries to keep records, and even these vary immensely in terms of methodology and reporting. <BR><BR>Below, are the figures given by religion, members, and percentage<BR><BR>Christianity 1.9 billion 33.0% <BR>Islam 1.1 billion 20.0 <BR>Hinduism 781 million 13.0 <BR>Buddhism 324 million 6.0 <BR>Sikhism 19 million 0.4 <BR>Judaism 14 million 0.2 <BR>Baha'ism 6.1 million 0.1 <BR>Confucianism 5.3 million 0.1 <BR>Jainism 4.9 million 0.1 <BR>Shintoism 2.8 million 0.0 <BR>

RnR

what I find depressing is I was 20 for 20. Says something about the test?

xxx

<BR>Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway (that funny-looking two-wheeled device) was profiled on television last week. He lamented the fact that the &quot;heros&quot; of today (and not just among 18-24 year olds, I fear) are pro athletes and entertainers. <BR><BR>The Romans realized centuries ago that all one needs to keep the masses happy and disctracte are bread and circuses.

xxx

<BR>Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway (that funny-looking two-wheeled device) was profiled on television last week. He lamented the fact that the &quot;heros&quot; of today (and not just among 18-24 year olds, I fear) are pro athletes and entertainers. <BR><BR>The Romans realized centuries ago that all one needs to keep the masses happy and distracted are bread and circuses.

burnem

speaking of religion...another example of a &quot;peaceful&quot; religion at work1<BR><BR>_______________________<BR><BR>At least 105 people are dead and more than 500 are injured, according to aid workers, in rioting that erupted in Nigeria after a newspaper suggested the Prophet Mohammad would have approved of the Miss World beauty contest being held there. Angry mobs in the mainly Muslim city of Kaduna burnt Christian churches and rampaged through the streets stabbing, bludgeoning and burning bystanders to death.&quot;<BR><BR>Yep we're mad, so let's burn the Christian churches...wake up folks this IS a religiou war!

cannot

Did anyone read the fine print on the sampling? <BR>http://geosurvey.nationalgeographic.com/geosurvey/highlights.html<BR><BR>In total, 2,916 interviews with 18- to 24-year-olds were conducted using an in-home, in-person methodology. Interviews were conducted in the following countries: United States, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Great Britain, and Japan. A total of 300 interviews were conducted in each country except the U.S.; in the U.S. nearly 500 interviews were conducted with 18-to 24-year-olds and an additional sample of more than 300 25-to 34-year-olds.

xxx

<BR><BR>Oh my God! 11% of U.S. 18-24 year olds couldn't even pick out their own country on a map!!! How is that possible? Even more Canadians, 95%, were able to pick out the U.S. on the map and they don't even live in the U.S. Amazing.

xxx

I don't doubt this article made the headlines in Europe. Anything to reinforce the totally inaccurate image they have that Americans are stupid. How absurd. Was there a big celebration afterwards??

x

Oh, isn't science grand! We are given this so-called sample, and we see the so-called results, and everybody goes bananas. No US kid can identify the US, but 95% of the Canadians can. I think these results show only what kids find to be improtant. I can full well understand why almost every Canadian kid knows where the US - it's the old living next to the elephant syndrone. But worst of all, US kids can't pinpoint Sewden. Well, that's bad news for massage, I suppose. Is the sky really falling, or is NG simply plugging for some sales? I can hear parents by the thousands running out and subscribing.

xxx

<BR>burnem, I read that this morning too. Very sad. Salman Rushdie can tell you what happens when one dares to say anything perceived as negative about Muhammed. One does this at their peril. (To be fair, I'm sure rabid Roman Catholics killed people in the past who criticized the Pope.) <BR><BR>You see, this really is NOT a &quot;religious&quot; war, or a war betweeen religions, Christianity and Islam. <BR>Instead, if it's a war at all, it's a war between conservative dogmatic intolerant religious fundamentalism of ALL kinds and liberalism.<BR><BR>

xxx

<BR><BR>Congratulations to the Japanese! Only 2% were incapable of picking out their own country on a map.

xxx

<BR><BR>On a positive note, 44% of U.S. 18-24 years olds were incapable of finding Italy on the map. Hopefully, they'll never be able to find it and, consequently, won't go there. <BR><BR>97% of Italians, by the way, could find their own country. Same for Mexicans; 97% could find their own country.

burnem

xxx,<BR><BR>It is not a war of intolerant fundamentalists as you put it where all ahve equal footing!<BR><BR>When was the last time you saw Southern Baptists, or Church of God, or PCA or other conservative fundamentalist Christians, doing so in the name of God burn down mosques or flying airplanes into buildings!<BR><BR>I am insulted when apologists like you try and lump my religion in with those fanatical thugs!<BR><BR>There is a difference even if you are too blind or prejudiced to see it!!!<BR><BR>And yes it is a religious war. Don't believe it...then ask yourself what each of thse scumbag terrorists have in common...they are Muslim and they hate Christianity!

Ira

John wrote<BR>&gt;Our local paper this morning ran a scolding article about this survey, in which it lamented that 3 in 10 American kids could not place the Pacific Ocean, whereas the rest of the world had a great 70% success rate in doing so. <BR><BR>Perhaps the math quiz is next?&lt;<BR><BR> Yes, John. Here is the math quiz<BR>If 3 of 10 American kids cannot find the Pacific ocean, whereas 70% of the rest of the world iss successful in doing so, what is the difference?<BR><BR>a. None<BR>b. No difference<BR>c. Exactly the same<BR>d. 70% of American kids CAN find the Pacific Ocean, while 3 of 10 of the rest of the world can't.<BR>

xxx

<BR><BR>19 out of 20. Morceau de g&acirc;teau, except for that religion question. <BR><BR><BR>burnem, while I have not seen conservative fundamentalist Christians burning down mosques or flying airplanes into buildings in the name of God, I have seen them murder doctors who do abortions in the name of God. Same concept (that they &quot;know&quot; what God wants), just to a lesser degree. <BR><BR>That being said, I would agree with you that, worldwide, fundamentalism within Islam seems a lot more violent than fundamentalism within Christianity. But I think they are not all that far apart in their intolerance. Also, while fundamentalist Christians may not be as violent now (insert applause: Yay!), they sure had bloodlust in the past, as we can see in everything from the Crusades to the persecution of the Cathars in southwest France, to burning people at the stake for the sin of heresy.