1 in 4 Americans Don't Know The Earth Orbits the Sun

[Feenix]

I once took an IQ test that used hand-eye coordination as a factor.

Really? That's interesting (and cool!).

I always take the random ones I find on the internet. I don't know how accurate they are. I wonder what the Mensa one looks like.

 

[Dr.]

I remember discussing IQ tests in a class once and how culturally biased they can be.

This question would be valid in most of the Western world: “Book is to reading as fork is to…”

But an Amazonian tribesman might not be familiar with either “book” or “fork.” A well-structured IQ quiz would take into account such cultural factors and modify as necessary.

 

[Erzengel]

http://sporcle.com/

I love this site. All 50 states, all 44 presidents.

 

[NinjaSpeed]

http://phys.org/news/2014-02-americans-unaware-earth-circles-sun.html



America, you have a major problem when it comes to your education system.

74% correct is, indeed, not very encouraging. Still, more correct answers were given to this question than EU, India, or Malaysia. South Korea was tops at 86%. US respondents rated highest in a few of the questions asked. US didn't fare so well on the Big Bang and Evolution questions (we weren't alone), but that is expected given the strong influence of counter-arguments in the country.

 

[Doctor Evo]

74% correct is, indeed, not very encouraging. Still, more correct answers were given to this question than EU, India, or Malaysia. South Korea was tops at 86%. US respondents rated highest in a few of the questions asked. US didn't fare so well on the Big Bang and Evolution questions (we weren't alone), but that is expected given the strong influence of counter-arguments in the country.

You misspelled "creationist bull****."

 

[KevanG]

I think the C is supposed to be capitalized, Doc.

 

[Teelie]

That implies he would give it Credibility.

 

[NinjaSpeed]

You misspelled "creationist bull****."

I'm not the antagonistic sort...but no "counter-arguments" here.

 

[KevanG]

If you ain't gonna right no good then I ain't gonna be givin you no crediblity.

 

[Hal_Jordan]

 

[Feenix]

http://sporcle.com/

I love this site. All 50 states, all 44 presidents.

Thanks, Erzengel, I just wasted an hour and a half doing those tests.

 

[Pink Ranger]

You misspelled "creationist bull****."

I'm not the antagonistic sort...but no "counter-arguments" here.

Hey, hey, don't knock on Ninja for trying to be diplomatic. He's just trying to be the only Hype newbie we've had in a while to last a full year. t:

 

[Teelie]

Another take on this survey.

A lot of smart people get scientific facts wrong, and it doesn't mean they are uneducated. In the 1987 documentary "A Private Universe," Harvard students, faculty and alumni were asked what causes the four seasons. Nearly everyone interviewed incorrectly explained that seasons change when the Earth gets closer or farther from the sun in orbit rather than because of the tilt of its axis.

It's also important to remember that in polling, the way a question is phrased can influence the outcome. For example, the National Science Foundation's Indicators report found that fewer than half of Americans agree with the statement, "Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals." However, a 2009 Pew poll reported that six in 10 Americans agree that "humans and other living things have evolved over time due to natural processes." The same year, a Harris Poll reported that while just 29% of Americans agree that "human beings evolved from earlier species," 53% of the same pool of respondents "believe Charles Darwin's theory which states that plants, animals and human beings have evolved over time." In other words, language matters.

 

[Slushy]

Its an optical illusion!

 

[Feenix]

Another take on this survey.

I absolutely agree that language does matter. Look at what people are specifically agreeing/disagreeing with.

"Human beings evolved over time" is something that a lot of Americans agreed with. This makes sense as anyone who has ever spoken to a creationist knows that they don't disagree with micro-evolution, they just disagree with macro-evolution. To them, human beings evolving over time is more adaptation, not becoming an entirely different species. Agreeing to this statement can be reconciled with religious beliefs.

On the other side, fewer Americans agree with the statement "human beings evolved from earlier species" because this implies macro-evolution and could, therefore, not be reconciled with any creationist beliefs.

 

[Marvolo]

I absolutely agree that language does matter. Look at what people are specifically agreeing/disagreeing with.

"Human beings evolved over time" is something that a lot of Americans agreed with. This makes sense as anyone who has ever spoken to a creationist knows that they don't disagree with micro-evolution, they just disagree with macro-evolution. To them, human beings evolving over time is more adaptation, not becoming an entirely different species. Agreeing to this statement can be reconciled with religious beliefs.

On the other side, fewer Americans agree with the statement "human beings evolved from earlier species" because this implies macro-evolution and could, therefore, not be reconciled with any creationist beliefs.

Whether people accept it or not when they say they believe in micro evolution I just tell them they must therefore believe in macro evolution seeing as macro evolution is just micro evolution over a long period of time. All those little adaptions they accept do add up to a substantial change. How they cant come to this realization and conclusion is a result of ineducation or willful ignorance more than an improperly asked question.

 

[Hal_Jordan]

I absolutely agree that language can matter, but knowing how the solar system works is third grade knowledge and on in America.

 

[zeroapoc]

The exact wording of the question was: “Does the Earth go around the Sun, or does the Sun go around the Earth?”

74% of Americans sampled (in 2012) got the right answer (better than Europe and Japan ).

The complete report (pdf) is here: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind14/content/chapter-7/c07.pdf

The plot thickens...

 

[Xeno]

The exact wording of the question was: “Does the Earth go around the Sun, or does the Sun go around the Earth?”

74% of Americans sampled (in 2012) got the right answer (better than Europe and Japan ).

The complete report (pdf) is here: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind14/content/chapter-7/c07.pdf

It's always fun to ridicule Americans, but it's interesting that people in Europe and Japan did significantly worse with that question. Where are the jeers about the state of education in those parts of the world?

 

[Pink Ranger]

It's always fun to ridicule Americans, but it's interesting that people in Europe and Japan did significantly worse with that question. Where are the jeers about the state of education in those parts of the world?

Well, the Macross Saga really ruined science for an entire generation of Japanese people.

 

[zeroapoc]

It's always fun to ridicule Americans, but it's interesting that people in Europe and Japan did significantly worse with that question. Where are the jeers about the state of education in those parts of the world?

I got a feeling a lot of people abandoned the thread upon seeing that little bit of news.

 

[Feenix]

It's always fun to ridicule Americans, but it's interesting that people in Europe and Japan did significantly worse with that question. Where are the jeers about the state of education in those parts of the world?

Given that Europe is made up of over 40 countries, you can't really say the state of education in all of Europe is bad (based on this poll). The education system in France or Germany is a hell of a lot different than the education system in Serbia or the Ukraine. We would have to know who answered the Earth/Sun question incorrectly to make an assumption about their education system.

The US, being a first world country, should have a better education system than this, especially when it comes to the questions about human evolution.

 

[KevanG]

The US, being a first world country should have a better education system than this, especially when it comes to the questions about human evolution.

Not if it's all based on LIES! Jeez Pinchy, grow up.

 

[Feenix]

Not if it's all based on LIES! Jeez Pinchy, grow up.

I wish I could have ridden a triceratops.

 

[zeroapoc]

Full comparative chart.

The US scored the highest in a few.