Mori poll: Thailand ranks 7th in world "ignorant index" but US is number 5!

[sabaii69]

17 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

I'm quite aware.  Just saying this is a strange poll when year to year there are such variances.  Just doesn't make sense.  Something's dodgy.

 

The US ranked at the bottom last year. 

Perhaps the problem is who administered the poll. The Brits have never forgiven the USA for winning WWII. Meanwhile, the Brexit move seems to have been pretty 'ignorant'; pound down to 44 per Baht.

[LoongJohn]

13 hours ago, tcris52 said:

Not at all surprised. The US elected Donald Trump. I'm a little surprised at the UK being rated so high after the Brexit vote.

The Brexit vote doesn't indicate ignorance - just gullibility!

 

[LoongJohn]

10 hours ago, bimmerbob said:

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss!

Some of these polls are stupid.

How about a poll for common sense?

My old Grandad used to say 'There's no such thing as common sense - if common sense was common, there'd be more of it about!'

 

[LoongJohn]

10 hours ago, EnlightenedAtheist said:

The 2014 poll revealed that Britons were generally clueless, but I don't want to spoil the party! Well! No worries! By now, everyone should be under the table signing "I've Got a Luvverly Bunch of Coconuts"! WOW! Coconuts! I didn't know!

 

1. Teenage pregnancy: the British think one in six (16%) of all teenage girls aged 15-19 give birth each year, when the actual figure is only 3%.
2. Muslims: we hugely over-estimate the proportion of Muslims in Britain – we think one in five British people are Muslims (21%) when the actual figure is 5% (one in twenty).
3. Christians: in contrast, we underestimate the proportion of Christians - we think 39% of the country identify themselves as Christian compared with the actual figure of 59%.
4. Immigration: we think 24% of the population are immigrants – which is nearly twice the real figure of 13%.
5. Ageing population: we think the British population is much older than it actually is – the average estimate is that 37% of the population are 65+, when it is in fact only 17%.
6. Voting: we underestimate the proportion of the electorate that voted in the last general election - the average guess is 49% when the official turnout was much higher at 66%.
7. Unemployment: we think nearly 24% of the working age population are unemployed when the actual figure is much lower at 7%.
8. Life expectancy: we overestimate our life expectancy by three years, thinking the average for a child born in 2014 will be 83 years, when the actual estimate is 80 years.
9. Murder rates: we are however one of the best informed countries on the murder rate: 49% saying it is falling (which is correct), and only 25% think it is rising

Then you should ask: do these results indicate ignorance or simply that the population is misinformed as to statistical data? Where are they supposed to get their information from - can they trust the media? If they can't, then what are they supposed to do?

[Fookhaht]

Finally.............a poll that you can believe.  

Oh yes, ages 16-24. The age of temporary insanity for every western human being –- as characterized by Western teachers.

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[overherebc]

7 hours ago, Guy360 said:

The average American is below average.    I am an American and can't believe the total ignorance of most of my countrymen, .especially the younger generation.  Our elementary schools are far more interested in "feelings" , "emotions", and cultural engineering than they are with the basics of Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Science, History and Civics.

 

 

There is a joke, about UK, that refers to that situation.

Teaching simple arithmetic.

Starts in 1960.

John makes 100 items for £2 each.

If he sells them for £5 what is

a. his percentage profit?

b. he is taxed at 25% on that profit how much tax did he pay.

 

It jumps forward by 10 years each time and the questions get easier each 10 years.

 

In 2010 it's still £2 and £5 but the question changes to;

Write half a page on how much John should sell each item for and  why and half a page on how you think John feels about making such a large profit.

 

[pmarlowe]

Definition of Ignorance: Any country where the Kardasians are more well known than the Vice President.

[Lee4Life]

Am I supposed to believe the results of a poll in which there are such wide variances year-to-year? How could the results change so rapidly?

 

I guess I'm just ignorant.

[captspectre]

that thailand should be compared to the U.S.A. is laughable! there is an "old" saying out there and it applies in this case! it is as follows, " I may be slow but i'm ahead of you!

[overherebc]

36 minutes ago, overherebc said:

 

There is a joke, about UK, that refers to that situation.

Teaching simple arithmetic.

Starts in 1960.

John makes 100 items for £2 each.

If he sells them for £5 what is

a. his percentage profit?

b. he is taxed at 25% on that profit how much tax did he pay.

 

It jumps forward by 10 years each time and the questions get easier each 10 years.

 

In 2010 it's still £2 and £5 but the question changes to;

Write half a page on how much John should sell each item for and  why and half a page on how you think John feels about making such a large profit.

 

 

Forgot to add,

It jumps forward to 2020 and the whole thing is written in Arabic.

[Caps]

2 hours ago, sabaii69 said:

Perhaps the problem is who administered the poll. The Brits have never forgiven the USA for winning WWII. Meanwhile, the Brexit move seems to have been pretty 'ignorant'; pound down to 44 per Baht.

That just goes to show how self opinionated you are 

If you read your history you will find it was a joint effort.  The US, UK, Polish Freedom Fighters, Free French, all the Resistance fighter and the Russians (might have missed some) 

Edited December 30, 2016 by Caps

[hawker9000]

5 hours ago, dunroaming said:

It's easy to confuse academia with intelligence.  Put a professor of sociology on a desert island with a farmer and who is likely to last longer.

 

Ignorance of world affairs doesn't really matter to an average worker in Wisconsin and isn't going to make much difference to his lifestyle.  However when you ask him to make a judgement on who is suitable to represent him on the world stage then you are dicing with death.  Hence the situation you now have in the USA.

"Ignorance of world affairs doesn't really matter to an average worker in Wisconsin and isn't going to make much difference to his lifestyle."

 

LOL.  Yeah, while the average urbanite doesn't know how many states there are or when the Civil War was - just what the minimum wage is and how much welfare's paying this month.  

 

Get real.

.  

[ChakaKhan]

22 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

The US went from 24th to 5th in a year?  Really? LOL 

 

Houston, we have a problem. LOL

Took a Trump win for me to see whats been hiding behind the curtain..

 

And i used to give thais warth for ignorance--now i see it 10 fold in my own country.

 

Guess is why i will be back in Bkk before that fool is sworn in......ugh 

 

 

[Ace of Pop]

The questions were liberal type twaddle anyway Sort of global warming themed stuf to Facebook Bablers.


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[Eneukman]

22 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

Not sure if translation was the problem, but this is totally wrong.  From the MORI site:

https://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/3664/perils-of-perception-2015.aspx

 

 

This particular poll looks at a fairly narrow range of questions. I would struggle to answer these questions correctly though some of my estimates would be a lot more accurate than average. I also refuse to believe that overall Britons are more ignorant than Americans apart from when it comes to American history and American geography.

 

Alan

[laislica]

9 hours ago, bangon04 said:

if you have time - search "Jaywalking" on YouTube for some great examples. Jay Leno interviews americans in the street.

 

or just search "americans ignorant" for a wider choice. 

 

I searched on dumb americans and posted a few clips but they seem to have disappeared.....

 

It has been great fun to watch and take part in the dumb bashing but....

 

How about spreading the fun to other nations too?

Should us Brits be bashed for Brexit? LOL

Edited December 30, 2016 by laislica

[EnlightenedAtheist]

2 hours ago, LoongJohn said:

Then you should ask: do these results indicate ignorance or simply that the population is misinformed as to statistical data? Where are they supposed to get their information from - can they trust the media? If they can't, then what are they supposed to do?

 

That's a good point! I agree.

 

However, maybe people need to stop going to the pub, listening to friends who are drunk and whose information is, ergo, unreliable, and respond to wasteful one-liner Facebook/Thai Visa responses or posts and start reading intelligent books with paragraphs and intelligent articles or start watching intelligent documentaries that last longer than a 30 sec. ad. But, people are tired of working and making zilch, paying high taxes because the rich corporations can find ways not to. I could go on.

 

Btw, I recognize that these polls are an absolute joke and would make any statistician die of laughter. For starters, were the 1000 people from other countries from the same demographics as the other 1000? Since some countries have no Muslim population (check the Czech rep. <.1%), it is pretty easy to be right. If you ask a Parisian about how many Chinese there are in France, they will say too many (taking pictures)! LOL Go to the South, where the old grandpa has never left his village and he will say not enough (pretty ones with mini skirts)! LOL

 

Btw, there was a typo in my last answer.

 

The 2014 poll revealed that Britons were generally clueless, but I don't want to spoil the party! Well! No worries! By now, everyone should be under the table singing "I've Got a Luvverly Bunch of Coconuts"! WOW! Coconuts! I didn't know!

[wlcart]

17 hours ago, tcris52 said:

Not at all surprised. The US elected Donald Trump. I'm a little surprised at the UK being rated so high after the Brexit vote.

 

I  am American, and I despise Trump, but I believe he could also win an election in a European country.

 

I live here in BKK and constantly meet Europeans whose disdain for immigrants in their own country is a perfect pathway for a man like Trump. 

[toenail]

After the election in the USA, voting for Trump as president and Fox "News" being the number one cable "news" channel in the USA proves how ignorant they are.

[johnhw]

15 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

I never mentioned anything about Thailand.  Just about the basics of this poll.  But yes, it's really easy to lie and cheat with statistics.  That was the title of a chapter of my stats book in college.  Loved that chapter.

The item referred to initially here was Thailand 7th, U.S. 5th on level of ignorance. And you missed my point, which is we tend to unquestionably agree enthusiastically with stats that uphold our tribe/our point of view, but immediately suspect as biased/gerrymandered stats when they include us in humanity's stupidities.

This type of 'critical thinking' is particularly obvious here on TV, as it is on YouTube strings and other social media.

[toenail]

16 minutes ago, wlcart said:

 

I  am American, and I despise Trump, but I believe he could also win an election in a European country.

 

I live here in BKK and constantly meet Europeans whose disdain for immigrants in their own country is a perfect pathway for a man like Trump. 

I agree, thanks to the misbehavior (few) of ME immigrants in Europe not willing to blend into the host country and taking advantage of the social benefits in those countries (along with the ISIS fanatics that have caused havoc in those countries) these peaceful countries are getting fed up. -- And I feel that is how Trump was elected  in the USA. Americans are tired of being "PC" and tired of the professional politicians being voted in. (However, so far it looks like Trump supporters were duped. Trump did not "drain the swamp" but replaced his swamp with bigger alligators whose qualifications are that they are all millionaires with very little experience in their cabinet appointment. Hitler was able to gain popularity by blaming Germany's problems toward minority groups and Trump has done the same by using immigrants, and world trade as the "evil" for America.)

[FredNL]

Must have been a report done by some Dutch organisation.

Fake news !!!

[Time Traveller]

20 hours ago, IMA_FARANG said:

As an American I know how blissfully ignorant many Americns are  with knowledge of their own country and it's own real history and   palce in the world.

I have to get used to that abd the silly questions I am asked by Americans when they hear I live in Thailand.

Quwstions like , "How much snow did you have in Thailand at Christmas this year?" and " Do they all speak Chinese there in Thailand?"

And questions like that gome from University graduates.

As an educated American , that kind of ignotance is dpressing to me.

That is one of the reasons I can not concieve of going back to live in the U.S. permanently.

 

 

Stop the Forum people, we have an "Educated" American advising us here !!!

 

Seriously, what's with all these "educated" people thinking they are better than everyone else, And needing  to tell everyone that they have achieved the rarefied heights of being educated...Well congratulations IMA_FARANG on learning to read and write.

 

Perhaps these ignorance polls are just designed to divide people. They have no point at all.

My experience is as a non- American that spent the best part of decade in America and one of my children studied there. During that time, I can't even remember a single time when Thailand was mentioned in the media, nor did I ever meet a thai person, nor do I remember my daughter saying that and facts about thailand was ever taught in the school.

 

So, why would the typical American know even the basics about an obscure little country on the other side of the world like Thailand that has no impact whatsoever on their day to day life?? That's not ignorance. 

 

People should pay no attention to stupid polls like this, they are just designed for the "educated" to generate feelings of self-satisfaction about themselves and their perceived superiority to average. Get over it, Trump won !

 

 

 

[Usernames]

7 hours ago, hawker9000 said:

 

"They are interviewing young liberals!"

 

...or illegals.

 

 

 

This IS the most important point. American schools are filled with non-citizens or the children of non-citizens who, at best, having a working vocabulary of 500 or so words (at least according to administrators in DISD).  And this includes their native language, which often isn't English or Spanish. Illegal immigration and family chain migration have devastated American schools and the broader culture.  It's almost as if it were intentional.

[RubbaJohnny]

20 hours ago, IMA_FARANG said:

As an educated American , that kind of ignotance is dpressing

 Exactly

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

This is happening everywhere in the west.

We know the problem, what is the answer?

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

5 hours ago, sabaii69 said:

Perhaps the problem is who administered the poll. The Brits have never forgiven the USA for winning WWII. Meanwhile, the Brexit move seems to have been pretty 'ignorant'; pound down to 44 per Baht.

You guys were late to the party again. If the UK had folded in 1940 the Yanks would be talking German now, and don't forget you made us pay back every dollar for the "help".

Ha ha, we, and the whole world should be thankful you turned up though...

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

5 hours ago, sabaii69 said:

Perhaps the problem is who administered the poll. The Brits have never forgiven the USA for winning WWII. Meanwhile, the Brexit move seems to have been pretty 'ignorant'; pound down to 44 per Baht.

Ignorant? Hey, check your own back yard first...

[LammyTS1]

"The poll asked 16-24 year olds"
Looney left wing liberals, no surprises then....


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[EnlightenedAtheist]

1 hour ago, Usernames said:

 

This IS the most important point. American schools are filled with non-citizens or the children of non-citizens who, at best, having a working vocabulary of 500 or so words (at least according to administrators in DISD).  And this includes their native language, which often isn't English or Spanish. Illegal immigration and family chain migration have devastated American schools and the broader culture.  It's almost as if it were intentional.

 

But those cheap immigrants or illegals are good for the bottom line. Not saying that you would agree to such a practice (of employing illegal Mexican ... or Burmese, wink wink), but it is the reality (and not just in the USA). That is how businesses work if one does not have a better product, one can always cut  costs. Of course, you can always displace the factory and make it look good and make the goods in China, some with great profit margins (smart phones) and some with low margins like T-shirts that are cheaper than 20 years ago and which general consumers love. It is a love-hate relationship.

 

On the other hand, if English was easier to learn, this might be a non-issue. With its hundreds of thousands of misspellings in its lexicon and NO ONE wanting to clean this up, it causes issues. Duh? Maybe it is time to point the finger in the right direction. There is a political system that is a mess as well, with lobbyists calling the shots, which explains the dire state of everything. In the meantime, they shoot us with cheap, mindless entertainment to prevent us from reforming the system. 

Edited December 30, 2016 by EnlightenedAtheist