Intelligence varies more than it may appear. I tend to live and work with people near my own intelligence level, and so―probably―do you. I know there’s at least two tiers above me. But there’s even more tiers below me.
A Gallup poll of 1,016 Americans asked whether the Earth revolves around the Sun or the Sun revolves around the Earth. 18% got it wrong. This isn’t an isolated result. An NSF poll found a slightly worse number.
Ironically, Gallup’s own news report draws an incorrect conclusion. The subtitle of their report is “Four-fifths know earth revolves around sun”. Did you spot the problem? If 18% of respondents got this wrong then an estimated 18% got it right just by guessing. 3% said they don’t know. If this was an exam, then we would conclude that only three fifths of Americans know the Earth goes around the Sun.
100%−18%−18%−3%=61%≈three fifths≠four fifths
The NSB, which gets its data from the GSS, found 27% of Americans got this question wrong. If we assume those 27% were guessing, then 46% of Americans know that the Earth goes around the Sun.
It could be worse. 59% answered correctly the sex chromosome question, which indicates that 18% know the true answer. 45% answered correctly about whether lasers focus sound waves which means that −10% of Americans know that lasers don’t focus sound.
Many people lack basic scientific knowledge
Intelligence varies more than it may appear. I tend to live and work with people near my own intelligence level, and so―probably―do you. I know there’s at least two tiers above me. But there’s even more tiers below me.
A Gallup poll of 1,016 Americans asked whether the Earth revolves around the Sun or the Sun revolves around the Earth. 18% got it wrong. This isn’t an isolated result. An NSF poll found a slightly worse number.
Ironically, Gallup’s own news report draws an incorrect conclusion. The subtitle of their report is “Four-fifths know earth revolves around sun”. Did you spot the problem? If 18% of respondents got this wrong then an estimated 18% got it right just by guessing. 3% said they don’t know. If this was an exam, then we would conclude that only three fifths of Americans know the Earth goes around the Sun.
100%−18%−18%−3%=61%≈three fifths≠four fifths
The NSB, which gets its data from the GSS, found 27% of Americans got this question wrong. If we assume those 27% were guessing, then 46% of Americans know that the Earth goes around the Sun.
It could be worse. 59% answered correctly the sex chromosome question, which indicates that 18% know the true answer. 45% answered correctly about whether lasers focus sound waves which means that −10% of Americans know that lasers don’t focus sound.