What the Public Knows Percent who know.n Branches of Islam Shia andm ? (The Sunni) 62 John IncCain represents what state? (Arizona) 56 Hugo Chavez is president of I (Venezuela) 50 Declared independence from Serbia? (Kos ovo) 46 Chairs Democratic Nat'l Committee? it. Dean) 40 Chairs Federal Reserve Bank? (Ben Bernanke) 35 U, St troops killed in Iraq? (Around 4,000) 28
The current Pew News IQ survey provides an updated look at the public’s knowledge of political and world affairs. A total of 1,003 adults were interviewed Feb. 28-March 2 and asked to answer a series of 12 multiple choice questions. The margin of error for the poll is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.A large majority of those interviewed (84%) correctly named Oprah Winfrey as the talk show host who has campaigned for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Seven-in-ten (70%) were able to name the Democratic Party as having a majority in the U.S. House; in August, 78% could do so. An identical percentage (70%) could identify Condoleezza Rice as the U.S. Secretary of State.
The percentage able to name the Sunnis as the branch of Islam competing for control of Iraq with the Shiites was 62%, five points lower than in August and the same percentage as in March 2007. A majority of Americans (56%) also knew that Sen. John McCain represents Arizona. Half were able to identify Hugo Chavez as the President of Venezuela, while fewer than half (46%) were aware that Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia.
Only four-in-ten knew that Howard Dean is chair of the Democratic National Committee. Approximately one-third (35%) could identify Ben Bernanke as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. And 31% could correctly place the Dow Jones Industrial Average at around 12,000, down from 41% in August who knew that it was around 13,000 at the time. The level of knowledge about the Dow is now about what it was in May 2000, when 28% knew that the index was around 10,000.
What the Public Knows  | Percent who know.n  | Talk show host for Obama? (Oprah Winfrey) 84  | Party holding House majority? (Democrats) 70  | Condoleeza Rice is? it, 5 Secretary of State) 70  | Branches of Islam Shia andm ? (The Sunni) 62  | John IncCain represents what state? (Arizona) 56  | Hugo Chavez is president of I (Venezuela) 50  | Declared independence from Serbia? (Kos ovo) 46  | Chairs Democratic Nat'l Committee? it. Dean) 40  | Chairs Federal Reserve Bank? (Ben Bernanke) 35  | Dow currently at? (12,000 pts) 31  | U, St troops killed in Iraq? (Around 4,000) 28  | Alat leader of the US Senate? (Harry Reid) 24  | Each result based on a multiple choice question. Correct answers in  | parentheses 