Sharp Rubber Duck

What's happening to Americans, Are we being stupid-ified by incompetents and aliens

August 15, 2006

Poll: Americans not so bright

Three-quarters of Americans can correctly identify two of Snow White's seven dwarfs while only a quarter can name two Supreme Court Justices, according to a poll on pop culture released yesterday.

According to the poll by Zogby International, commissioned by the makers of a new online game on pop culture called “Gold Rush,” 57 percent of Americans could identify J.K. Rowling's fictional boy wizard as Harry Potter, while only 50 percent could name the British prime minister, Tony Blair. The pollsters spoke to 1,213 people across the United States. The results had a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.

Just over 60 percent of respondents were able to name Bart as Homer's son on the television show “The Simpsons,” while only 20.5 percent were able to name one of the ancient Greek poet Homer's epic poems, “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey.” Asked what planet Superman was from, 60 percent named the fictional planet Krypton, while only 37 percent knew that Mercury is the planet closest to the sun. Respondents were far more familiar with the Three Stooges - Larry, Curly and Moe - than the three branches of the U.S. government - judicial, executive and legislative. Seventy-four percent identified the Stooges, 42 percent the branches.

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