Why WORLD OF DIFFERENCE Ltd?
In a 2006 National Geographic - Roper study, Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 were surveyed to assess their geographic knowledge and skills. You may be surprised by the findings!
Of those surveyed:
• Half or fewer can identify the states of New York or Ohio on a map (50% and 43%, respectively)
• Six in ten cannot find Iraq on a map, despite the near-constant news coverage since the Iraq invasion
• Only 28% believe it’s necessary to know where countries in the news are located
• 75% don’t know that the majority of Indonesia’s population is Muslim (making it the largest Muslim country in the world), despite the prominence of this religion in global news today
• 50% incorrectly believe that Muslims are the majority in India (80% of India is Hindu)
• Sizeable percentages do not know that Sudan and Rwanda are in Africa
• Seven in ten have never traveled outside the US; 78% do not even have a passport
• 45% think that China’s population is only double that of the US (it is 4x the US population)
• 74% believe that English is the most common native tongue (only 18% correctly identified Mandarin Chinese as the most common tongue). This incorrect belief could be the reason behind the following statistics:
• 62% don’t speak a second language fluently
• 38% say that speaking a foreign language is “not too important,” compared with only 14% who say it is absolutely necessary. Furthermore, language skills are seen as no more important today than they were in the 2002 study.
The study concluded the following:
Taken together, these results suggest that young people in the United States – the most recent graduates of our educational system – are unprepared for an increasingly global future. Far too many lack even the most basic skills for navigating the international economy or understanding the relationships among people and places that provide critical context for world events.
WORLD OF DIFFERENCE Ltd understands the importance of making students of all ages aware of their place in the global community. Through our dynamic programming, we hope to pique curiosity about the world and leave students wanting to know more. Our ultimate goal is to cultivate an interest and regard for other parts of the world that will spur students towards further learning and cultural understanding.
For the complete report of the National Geographic-Roper study see: