Where in the world did they learn that? 92% of adults struggle with Key Stage 3 level geography questions
- New study from Expedia reveals that 92 per cent of Brits struggle to complete Key Stage 3 level geography questions[1]
- Almost a third of Brits (29 per cent) can't identify France on a map, despite just being 21 miles away[2]
- Two thirds of adults (59 per cent) consider themselves to be well travelled – yet nearly half of Brits (47 per cent) struggle to distinguish the county of Devon
- A huge 71 per cent of Brits could not guess the capital of Canada
- With technology putting travel at our fingertips, Expedia, with help from former geography teacher and adventurer James Cracknell, is encouraging the nation to learn more about the world
LONDON, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the world's largest travel platforms, Expedia, has found that British adults aren't quite as a knowledgeable about the world as they think they are. A study asked both adults and children (aged 10-13) to complete questions based on Key Stage 3 level geography tests and revealed that in some cases, such as being able to identify France on a map, it was in fact the younger generation who fared better. In fact, almost a third of British adults (29 per cent) struggled to recognise our European neighbours, despite the country being just 21 miles away.
Almost two thirds of adults surveyed (59 per cent) consider themselves to be well travelled – yet ironically over half failed to recognise the great nations of Japan (52 per cent) and India (50 per cent), a country which is approximately 13 times bigger than the UK, on a map.
The average British adult has supposedly travelled to nine countries, but it seems that this is not reflected in our map reading. Whilst four in ten adults (40 per cent) were able to spot Argentina, one in ten (10 per cent) thought it was Brazil. The trickiest place to pinpoint is mountainous Austria, with 76 per cent of Brits struggling to correctly name the country.
Home to one of the seven wonders of the world, 59 per cent of Brits were unable to locate Egypt on a map, with the same number unable to find Turkey – despite both countries being popular holiday hotspots for UK tourists.
Capital city trivia was tricky for adults too as a quarter of Brits (25 per cent) thought Sydney is the capital of Australia. When asked to name the capital city of Canada, 71 per cent could not guess the right name, with over a quarter (27 per cent) incorrectly guessing Toronto.
With travel at our fingertips, especially domestic trips to local spots, there is a chance to broaden our minds as to what the world can offer. In fact, almost half of the nation (47 per cent) struggled to identify Devon, with more than one in ten adults (13 per cent) confusing the county famous for its beautiful coastline for neighbouring Cornwall.
The study also revealed half of Brits (49 per cent) use travel booking websites to learn about new countries before they go away. Even when short on time, those looking for inspiration can use the Expedia App to explore new territories and Expedia's blog to learn about different cultures.
James Cracknell, former geography teacher and adventurer, comments "Travel is an important part of education. It gives you the opportunity to learn new languages, immerse yourself in diverse cultures and understand different viewpoints. It's amazing to have the world at our fingertips through technology and it's important that we develop our global awareness through exploring new destinations – after all, real life education continues outside of the classroom."
Mark Tavender, Director of Product and Marketing at Brand Expedia, comments: "Seeing the world has never been cheaper or more accessible. Whether you're wanting to go abroad or visit somewhere in the UK, Expedia has lots of great deals on flights, cars, activities and accommodation to help save you money, so your holidays needn't cost the earth. It's also a great place to visit if you're looking for information on things to do or simply a little destination inspiration."
Notes to editors
This research was conducted by Censuswide with 2,038 general UK respondents 16+ and 1,002 10-13-year olds between 01.02.2019 – 07.02.19 Censuswide abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles.
- 163 out of 2,036 adult respondents (8 per cent) answered all the questions correctly = 92 per cent of respondents who answered one or more questions incorrectly
- Approximately 21 miles (32 kilometres). Source: https://www.channelswimmingassociation.com/faq
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