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I wonder how this kind of poll would do in the US? As if I don’t already know the answer.
Quarter of Brits think Churchill was myth: poll
Britons are losing their grip on reality, according to a poll out Monday which showed that nearly a quarter think Winston Churchill was a myth while the majority reckon Sherlock Holmes was real.
The survey found that 47 percent thought the 12th century English king Richard the Lionheart was a myth.
And 23 percent thought World War II prime minister Churchill was made up. The same percentage thought Crimean War nurse Florence Nightingale did not actually exist.
Three percent thought Charles Dickens, one of Britain’s most famous writers, is a work of fiction himself.
Indian political leader Mahatma Gandhi and Battle of Waterloo victor the Duke of Wellington also appeared in the top 10 of people thought to be myths.Meanwhile, 58 percent thought Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective Holmes actually existed; 33 percent thought the same of W. E. Johns’ fictional pilot and adventurer Biggles.
A large problem with these sorts of polls is that they aren’t checking for citizenship. The 1st world has a an exploding number of people who aren’t part of the country they are living in.
Furthermore polling uses land lines, which are sooo 5 minutes ago.
A significant portions of Brits think pollsters only exist to be jerked around, though.
One of the last polls on religion that I saw in the UK – had over 20% respond they were Jedi.
I guess U.S. schools aren’t the only ones that are crappy.
Well I’m a Brit and I’m a myth
Agree with #1. In my time “over there”, I definitely saw the Brit tendency to jerk the twits around, which would include pollsters. Heck, it must be contagious, I still do it over here, especially the phone polls.
Seriously. If you were stopped in the street and asked any of these questions, what would you say? Whether you’re in London, New York or wherever.
If a pollster’s chain is there to be yanked, yanked it will be.
Actually schools are very good here.
Buried as inaccurate.
Of course Sherlock Holmes was real. His fight for gay rights and eventual marriage to Biggles was well documented, and was the inspiration for the excellent work of fiction: “Ghandi, the homoerotic spiritual leader”, which won the Richard the Lionheart Prize for fiction in 1398.
85.7% of all statistics are made up though!
Not surprising. You get these same sort of polls every now and then on how bad our skills are on geography and other primary areas.
Look, regardless of the country, the “average” person has an IQ of 100, by definition. The ‘majority’ of people are average to dumb. There’s only a small minority of really smart, historically cultured people.
This is why Democracy is cool, but dangerous UNLESS you keep your population educated. Otherwise you end up with idiots voting on issues they don’t even vaguely understand.
Most people don’t give a damn either, they never did. It’s all about them and today.
What percentage believe that Jesus (or Muhammed) are myths?
50% of the population are below average intelligence.
and the rest are morans.
5% disbelieved the pollster
Oh God, someone build a Institute of Funny Walks stat to keep all these rubes occupied. We don’t want them driving or anything.
Love that Brit sense of humor.
John, You should get Wil’s take on this next This Week In Tech.
I wonder if this poll was done in the U.S., would you be so quick to say they were just wanking the pollsters’ chain?
The Brits perhaps wish they were a first world country, but they are a second world country. Chairman Mao coined the terms.
Brits dumb? Well Americans are dumber…
http://youtube.com/watch?v=M1N351vzY-M
Cheers
Americans, the collective wisdom of average ignorance.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DG7uV2L3DqA
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Qv8yLT6jM04
Isn’t comforting to know these are the people who are electing the person who has the power to wage war with the worlds most powerful military……….yeah, fucking great! 🙁
Cheers
#22 Pedro – He was until the day he died!
Mao was very successful and achieved most, if not all he set out to do, HOWEVER, he was not Great…that, I think, is what you mean.
Cheers