Bob CollinsQuick! How many American soldiers have died in the war in Iraq? If you’re like 72 percent of the American adult population, you don’t know, according to a new Pew Research Center Survey.
That’s the lowest awareness total since the war began and it also mirrors the declining amount of war coverage in the American media. Maybe it’s the media’s fault, but other elements of the survey are just as troubling and don’t necessarily track with media coverage.
For example:
* Only 70% know which party is in control of the U.S. House of Representatives
* Only 56 percent know which state John McCain represents in the Senate.
* Only 31 percent knew the Dow was at 12,000 points (at the time of the survey)
Even worse, the questions were multiple choice, and only 52% of those surveyed got at least 6 of the 10 questions right.
I have confidence that News Cut readers can beat these numbers. So take the survey here. Then post your results.
Here’s a freebie: As of tonight 3,966 soldiers have been killed in Iraq.
