Dumb People, not Just Americans Anymore

[ethics]

One in ten Britons cannot name a single world leader (including Tony Blair), more Britons recognise Phil Mitchell, the villian in popular soap opera, EastEnders, than Saddam Huessin and 10 percent of the population never watches, listens to or reads the news. These are the worrying conclusions of a survey, commissioned by Whitaker's Almanac, entitled <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2345355.stm">'Is Britain Dumbing Down?'</a>

The 'shocking' results of the survey has prompted Whitaker's to call on the government to encourage more interest in current events.

Is this apparent symptom of an increasingly media-saturated Western Culture?

[mikeky]

It may be because they are tired of hearing stories about surveys that tell them how stupid they how, or how overweight, how poor, how (continue with your favorite study generally slamming the public or describing some impending societal crisis).

Or maybe that portion (10% doesn't sound that bad to me) just doesn't have an interest in the news, and if they don't, so what? Why care that some small percent has other priorities?