Test yourself

1. What is the political system of Indonesia? Authoritarian, democratic, monarchic, totalitarian, don’t know.

2. Which of the following did the most trade in goods and services with NZ? China, Japan, India, Singapore, South Korea, don’t know. 3. Where did NZ receive most foreign investment in 2016? Asia, Australia/ Oceania, Europe, North America, South America, don’t know.

4. Mekong River does not flow through: India, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, don’t know.

5. Which of the following has the largest population of Muslims? Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Philippines, China, don’t know.

6. Describe the Belt & Road initiative. (Answers below)

Draper said the latest findings confirmed what Kiwis felt. “It’s not just a confidence thing — they really lack some basic knowledge.”

What was surprising, however, was the lack of knowledge among young New Zealanders, he said.

A total of 52 per cent of participants aged between 15 and 30 did not provide any correct answers or only provided one right answer.

“What the survey showed is that, in fact, young New Zealanders know less about Asia than the general population.”

To help young Kiwis learn more about Asia, the foundation is pushing a programme dubbed #ThinkAsia over the next few months to help young people understand more about the region and also equip themselves with Asia-related skills.