The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and National Geographic have commissioned a survey to gauge what young people educated in American colleges and universities know about geography, the environment, demographics, U.S. foreign policy, recent international events, and economics.

The survey, conducted in May 2016 among 1,203 respondents aged eighteen to twenty-six, revealed significant gaps between what young people understand about today’s world and what they need to know to successfully navigate and compete in it. The average score on the survey’s knowledge questions was only 55 percent correct, and just 29 percent of respondents earned a minimal pass—66 percent correct or better.

Beispiele:

Asked whether more Mexicans have left the United States than entered over the past five years, 34 percent answered correctly, i.e., that more have left.

30 percent correctly identified which branch of the U.S. government (legislative) has constitutional authority to declare war.

Which country has a larger economy (i.e., total value of goods and services produced), the United States
or China?
The United States ... 29%
China .....................67% (false)