Brits really don’t have as good an idea as they think about their country, new research has revealed.
Interviews with almost 30,000 people from 38 different countries, conducted by Ipsos MORI, found that the UK came 9th in a test of accuracy of factual realities. They were asked about a range of issues from crime to health.
The most accurate country was Sweden, while South Africa came in last.
Bobby Duffy, managing director of Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute, said people tend to “overestimate what we worry about”, especially if media coverage is frightening or threatening.
“We are often most incorrect on factors that are widely discussed in the media, such as deaths from terrorism, murder rates, immigration and teenage pregnancy.
“There are multiple reasons for these errors – from our struggle with maths and proportions, to media and political coverage of issues, to social psychology explanations of our mental shortcuts or biases,” he said.
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