Average Briton Can Only Name 4 Capital Cities
Posted by Sue Anderson, 17th Apr 2012
Our latest survey has revealed that many Brits are suffering from capital confusion, as the average person can only name 4 capital cities from around the world; with London, Paris, Rome and Cardiff being the most commonly known capitals.
We carried the poll out as part of research into the knowledge of Britons surrounding other countries around the world. 1,318 UK adults took part in the poll and answered questions surrounding capital cities and the locations of different countries around the world in relation to others.
Respondents to the study were asked to name as many capital cities, and their accompanying countries, as they could from memory. When taking all answers into account, the average respondent could only name 4 correct capital cities. The most commonly known capital cities, according to the poll, were London (England), Cardiff (Wales), Rome (Italy) and Paris (France).
Respondents were then given a list of countries and told to write a suggested capital city next to it, whether they knew it or not. From this data, sunshine.co.uk collated the most commonly misconceived capital cities; being the capitals that people assumed incorrectly.
According to the poll, below were the most commonly misconceived capital cities;
1. New York, USA (real answer: Washington D.C.)
2. Glasgow, Scotland (real answer: Edinburgh)
3. Sydney, Australia (real answer: Canberra)
4. Barcelona, Spain (real answer: Madrid)
5. Montreal, Canada (real answer: Ottawa)
6. Auckland, New Zealand (real answer: Wellington)
7. Istanbul, Turkey (real answer: Ankara)
8. Cape Town, South Africa (real answer: Pretoria)
9. Rio de Janerio, Brazil (real answer: Brasilia)
10. Mumbai, India (real answer: New Delhi)
We were actually quite surprised by the number of people that didn't know their capital cities! Even for those who don't have a lot of travelling experience, you'd expect people to be able to point out certain places on a World map.
However, we were reassured to see that, although many guesses were wrong, they were pretty sensible answers! That's not to say that we didn't have some ridiculous comments too!
We carried the poll out as part of research into the knowledge of Britons surrounding other countries around the world. 1,318 UK adults took part in the poll and answered questions surrounding capital cities and the locations of different countries around the world in relation to others.
The average respondent could only name 4 correct capital cities
Respondents to the study were asked to name as many capital cities, and their accompanying countries, as they could from memory. When taking all answers into account, the average respondent could only name 4 correct capital cities. The most commonly known capital cities, according to the poll, were London (England), Cardiff (Wales), Rome (Italy) and Paris (France).
The most commonly misconceived capital city was New York, USA
Respondents were then given a list of countries and told to write a suggested capital city next to it, whether they knew it or not. From this data, sunshine.co.uk collated the most commonly misconceived capital cities; being the capitals that people assumed incorrectly.
According to the poll, below were the most commonly misconceived capital cities;
1. New York, USA (real answer: Washington D.C.)
2. Glasgow, Scotland (real answer: Edinburgh)
3. Sydney, Australia (real answer: Canberra)
4. Barcelona, Spain (real answer: Madrid)
5. Montreal, Canada (real answer: Ottawa)
6. Auckland, New Zealand (real answer: Wellington)
7. Istanbul, Turkey (real answer: Ankara)
8. Cape Town, South Africa (real answer: Pretoria)
9. Rio de Janerio, Brazil (real answer: Brasilia)
10. Mumbai, India (real answer: New Delhi)
We were actually quite surprised by the number of people that didn't know their capital cities! Even for those who don't have a lot of travelling experience, you'd expect people to be able to point out certain places on a World map.
However, we were reassured to see that, although many guesses were wrong, they were pretty sensible answers! That's not to say that we didn't have some ridiculous comments too!
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