Rachel passed us this Ananova.com tidbit about a recent UK poll. My first reaction was that the poll was a little out of touch. A few quotes:
\”Six out of 10 youngsters questioned knew the term \’homepage\’ meant the introduction to a website yet only 9% could explain the meaning of a preface in a book.\”
To be honest, I can\’t tell you the difference between a preface, a foreword, and an introduction. How many people on the street can?
\”The results come in a survey of 1,000 seven to 16-year-olds questioned by NOP Research across the UK for MSN.\”
Small sample, large age range. And what does Microsoft have to gain by these results?
\”Youngsters\’ reliance on the internet suggests fewer are heading to their local public library to do research. In the poll 25% said the net was their first port of call for help with homework.\”
The statement is probably true, but doesn\’t necessarily follow from the statistic. Just because students go to the Internet first doesn\’t mean they don\’t get to the library eventually.
I\’d really like to see more detailed results and a sample of the survey form on this one. Anybody have more substantial information available?
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