Yes, it’s that time of year again…time to report on the infamous Index of Ignorance.
The findings are from the Ipsos MORI Perils of Perception Survey, which is based on nearly 12,000 interviews with adults in 14 advanced economy countries.
This is the first international study to look at misperceptions across a range of issues and countries. It shows there are huge gaps between perception and reality on a number of key issues, including: teenage pregnancy, Muslims, Christians, immigration, ageing population, voting, unemployment, life expectancy and murder rates.
Let the fun begin. Italy claims the top spot overall on the Index of Ignorance this year, with the biggest gaps between perception and reality on a number of issues. Just behind Italy are the United States, South Korea, Poland, Hungary, France and Canada.
Sweden leads those seven countries that have the smallest gaps between perception and reality. Germany is a close second to Sweden. Japan, Spain, Great Britain, Australia and Belgium round out those countries most in touch with reality.
Here are just a few examples of how perception differs from reality by issue:
- “Out of 100 people, how many do you think are Muslim?” France leads the way on this one with the biggest gap between perception and reality. In France, the reality is that 8 percent are Muslim but respondents thought it was 31 percent.
- “Out of 100 people, how many do you think are Christian?” The U.S. had the biggest gap on this one. Americans thought 56 percent were Christians but the real number is 78 percent, one of the highest in the world.
- “Out of 100 people of working age, how many do you think are unemployed and looking for work?” Italy leads on this one. The actual number is 12 percent but Italians thought it was 49 percent.
The Italians also widely missed the mark on the ageing population question. They think nearly 40 percent of the people in Italy are over 65, while the reality is just 18 percent.
So, big deal. The world still envies the Italians for their sublime la dolce vita lifestyle that produces an average life expectancy of nearly 83 years. They apparently don’t spend time worrying about perception versus reality gaps.
