KC ([info]kc_anathema) wrote,
@ 2008-02-03 22:47:00
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Quarter of Brits think Churchill was myth: poll
LONDON (AFP) - Britons are losing their grip on reality, according to a poll out Monday which showed that nearly a quarter think Winston Churchill was a myth while the majority reckon Sherlock Holmes was real.

The survey found that 47 percent thought the 12th century English king Richard the Lionheart was a myth. And 23 percent thought World War II prime minister Churchill was made up. The same percentage thought Crimean War nurse Florence Nightingale did not actually exist.

Three percent thought Charles Dickens, one of Britain's most famous writers, is a work of fiction himself. Indian political leader Mahatma Gandhi and Battle of Waterloo victor the Duke of Wellington also appeared in the top 10 of people thought to be myths.

Meanwhile, 58 percent thought Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective Holmes actually existed; 33 percent thought the same of W. E. Johns' fictional pilot and adventurer Biggles.

UKTV Gold television surveyed 3,000 people.

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[info]franciscanorder
2008-02-04 05:55 am UTC (link)
Oh, but Americans are stupid compared to sophisticated Europeans.

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[info]kc_anathema
2008-02-04 06:24 am UTC (link)
That was the first thing I thought, too (besides wtf!).

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[info]rin_x_x
2008-02-04 06:59 am UTC (link)
It should be stated that as far as I know, Britian is very.. disconnected from the rest of Europe.

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[info]valarltd
2008-02-04 06:25 am UTC (link)
*dies laughing*

I wonder what Americans would say in a comparable poll. Remember, 40% of us can't find our own country on the globe. I'll bet most of them think Horatio Alger was fictional.

Richard the Lionheart, the great and good, was pure myth. Richard II, the king who spent less than 6 months of his reign in his country, married a princess for her dowery and lost his crusade because of a lover's spat with Phillip of France, was real. (Robin Hood was probably real, but the records indicate he was the Sheriff of Nottingham)

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[info]vicky_v
2008-02-04 10:06 am UTC (link)
I used to joke about people de-evolving. Probably won't for a while.

Way to go, fellow Brits. But must we aim to be crap at everything?

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[info]lindentreeisle
2008-02-04 11:56 am UTC (link)
I always get suspicious when they don't mention methodology, or who the sample group was. Hmm!

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[info]jordan179
2008-02-04 01:01 pm UTC (link)
Churcill died in 1965. Only 43 years ago.

There are plenty of British people alive who remember him.

I want to know who the 23 percent who thought he was a myth were ...

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[info]rin_x_x
2008-02-05 12:06 am UTC (link)
Probably very undereducated young adults, is my guess. Cause if you're older than lets say... 27, you either were around when Churchill was alive, or knew about Churchill from your parents.

I'm only going to say teenagers were most likely not in the 23% because they'd be learning about him in school. So maybe 21-27?

Of course my math skills are full of fail, so ymmv.

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[info]princess2000204
2008-02-04 02:34 pm UTC (link)
WoW! And the Europeans are always saying us Americans aren't intouch with reality.....this speaks for itself!

If they think Churchill was a myth, then who the hell was Prime Minister during WWII? That's what I want to know.

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[info]tygrrlyli
2008-02-04 05:39 pm UTC (link)
My mom just asked me that exact question when I told her about the Churchill poll results. I guess they just assume there was no prime minister?? I have no idea.

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[info]tygrrlyli
2008-02-04 05:37 pm UTC (link)
Umm, I have to agree with a precious commenter on the methodology and sample thing. Sure, people are stupid. It's a fundamental part of being human. But...this?
I wonder what the American equivalent is? Do people think Huck Finn was a real person? Do they think Harriet Tubman was fictional?

I wonder.

But, honestly, did they find 3,000 crack heads to answer this poll??

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[info]rosyapple
2008-02-05 01:36 am UTC (link)
maybe none of them exist. maybe they all do. why is it so important to draw the distinction? how do you know you exist?

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[info]kc_anathema
2008-02-05 01:58 am UTC (link)
Real easy. I stare down the barrel of a gun. Or the moment of my car crash. Even if I'm merely Shiva's dream, I had *something* to lose then. Might as well call it existence.

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[info]kitty11chan
2008-02-12 03:24 am UTC (link)
Oy vey, this is pathetic.

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