Quiz reveals Kiwis’ ignorance on Asia
Fewer than 50pc of younger people surveyed had the answers
The Mekong River flows through India — true or false? If you answered false, you would be among 39 per cent of New Zealanders who answered correctly. The other large block of respondents, 34 per cent, had no idea.
Results from the Perceptions of Asia and Asian Peoples Survey have been released today and have revealed New Zealanders know very little about the Asian region.
Up to 2000 people from all around the country took part in the survey, by the Asia New Zealand Foundation, at the end of last year.
For the first time, a general knowledge quiz was included; asking people six questions relating to Asia.
Among them were: “What is the political system of Indonesia?” A stag-
The average mark was two correct answers out of six. That’s a fail. Simon Draper, Asia NZ Foundation
gering 43 per cent said they did not know, while 16 per cent answered correctly — democratic.
Seventy-three per cent of participants knew that China did the most trade in goods and services with New Zealand, but the majority incorrectly thought New Zealand received most of its foreign investment, in 2016, from Asia.
Only 7 per cent answered correctly — Australia/Oceania.
Foundation chief Simon Draper said the inclusion of the general knowledge quiz in the latest survey — which had been running for the past 20 years — was in response to its findings the previous year; in which six out of 10 Kiwis continued to say they knew little about the region.
“We thought this was just a confidence thing, that New Zealanders just weren’t backing themselves in what they know about Asia.
“They weren’t complicated questions. For example, does the Mekong River flow through India? The average mark was two correct answers out of six. That’s a fail.”