Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

What the Public Knows - In Words and Pictures

November 7, 2011

The Pew Research Center updates the News IQ quiz every few months by conducting a nationwide survey of Americans. Each version of the quiz asks a wide range of questions about current events and issues as well as background facts and concepts that are relevant to the news.

The new survey includes a mixture of standard multiple-choice items as well as questions that use photographs, maps and symbols. It was conducted completely online Sept. 30-Oct. 11, 2011, among a random sample of 1,168 adults by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

Of the 19 items on the survey, 10 are standard multiple-choice questions, many of which are similar or identical to those from previous political knowledge surveys. Of the other nine, five use pictures of public figures, two use maps and two use religious or political symbols. On average, quiz takers correctly answer 11.5 of the 19 items, for a score of 60% correct.

Read the results of the news quiz, but before you do, take the quiz and see how you do in comparison to others.