How “globally competent” are you?

The questions below will display one at a time. After you answer each, you will see whether it is correct as well as the results of a survey of recent high school graduates.

Key to abbreviations: Results are broken down by those who say that current events were discussed regularly in their classrooms (DISC), those who say that current events were not discussed regularly (NO DISC), those who have traveled internationally (TRVL), and those who have not traveled internationally (NO TRVL).

  1. Afghanistan is located in which region?
    Results from high school graduates surveyed
    All 18–21 22–24 Disc No Disc Trvl No Trvl
    Europe 2 2 1 2 1 1 2
    Middle East 53 57 49 56 51 39 60
    Central Asia 28 26 31 24 31 36 24
    Southeast Asia 8 7 10 11 6 10 7
    Sub-Saharan Africa 4 2 5 4 4 7 2
    North Africa 6 6 5 4 7 6 5
  2. Libya is located in which region?
    Results from high school graduates surveyed
    All 18–21 22–24 Disc No Disc Trvl No Trvl
    Europe 2 1 2 3 1 2 1
    Middle East 30 33 28 30 31 20 36
    Central Asia 6 6 6 2 8 5 6
    Southeast Asia 5 5 6 6 5 5 5
    Sub-Saharan Africa 4 3 5 4 4 4 4
    North Africa 53 52 55 57 52 65 48
  3. The term “Arab Spring” refers to what?
    Results from high school graduates surveyed
    All 18–21 22–24 Disc No Disc Trvl No Trvl
    A wave of revolutionary protests and demonstrations 56 52 61 55 57 61 54
    The ending festivities to a Muslim religious festival 14 15 12 16 12 10 15
    A cultural renaissance in the Middle East during the 11th century AD 11 13 9 11 12 13 10
    A festival in the Middle East that takes place every spring 10 10 9 10 10 6 11
    The spring flower season in Middle Eastern countries 9 10 9 8 10 9 10
  4. What is the most commonly spoken language in the world?
    Results from high school graduates surveyed
    All 18–21 22–24 Disc No Disc Trvl No Trvl
    English 45 48 42 50 42 44 45
    Mandarin 22 18 27 21 23 30 18
    Spanish 12 15 9 8 15 9 14
    French 6 5 7 4 7 7 5
    Arabic 3 3 2 4 1 3 3
    Hindi 2 2 3 3 2 0 4
    Farsi 1 0 1 2 0 1 0
    Portuguese 1 1 2 1 2 1 1
    Urdu 0 0 1 1 0 1 0
    I don’t know 8 10 6 7 9 4 10
  5. Off the top of your head, please estimate the size of the U.S. population.

    Mean response: 334,438,082 (Correct answer: 314 million)

  6. Off the top of your head, please estimate the size of the global population.

    Mean response: 6,308,216,809 (Correct answer: 7 billion)

  7. What are the five most populous countries in the world?
    Results from high school graduates surveyed
    All 18–21 22–24 Disc No Disc Trvl No Trvl
    China, India, U.S., Indonesia, Brazil 47 43 52 47 48 56 43
    China, India, U.S. United Kingdom, Germany 16 16 16 15 17 11 19
    China, India, U.S., Russia, Germany 15 16 16 15 17 11 19
    China, U.S., India, Pakistan, Russia 13 16 9 13 13 11 14
    China, U.S., Germany, Russia, Brazil 9 9 9 7 10 8 9
  8. In 2011, what country is the world’s largest exporter, sending the most goods and services outside its own country?
    Results from high school graduates surveyed
    All 18–21 22–24 Disc No Disc Trvl No Trvl
    China 64 69 59 66 63 59 67
    United States 12 13 11 15 10 13 11
    Japan 8 6 9 7 8 7 8
    Canada 57 8 4 2 4 2 3
    Germany 3 2 4 2 4 2 3
    India 3 2 3 3 2 4 2
    England 2 1 3 1 2 2 2
    Mexico 2 2 2 1 3 1 3
  9. Which country is the United States’ largest trading partner?
    Results from high school graduates surveyed
    All 18–21 22–24 Disc No Disc Trvl No Trvl
    China 54 56 52 58 52 56 53
    Canada 23 24 22 22 24 21 24
    Japan 9 9 10 8 10 8 10
    India 4 3 5 4 5 3 5
    Mexico 4 3 6 4 4 5 4
    England 3 2 5 3 4 5 3
    Germany 2 3 1 1 2 3 1
  10. True or false: An international court exists to bring charges against war criminals.
    Results from high school graduates surveyed
    All 18–21 22–24 Disc No Disc Trvl No Trvl
    True 71 74 69 74 70 76 69
    False 29 26 31 27 30 24 31
  11. In how many languages can you read a newspaper article and write to a friend in the same language?
    Results from high school graduates surveyed
    All 18–21 22–24 Disc No Disc Trvl No Trvl
    1 (only English) 71 74 67 68 73 66 73
    2 (English + 1 other) 20 19 20 23 18 21 19
    3 (English + 2 others) 6 4 7 7 4 11 3
    4 (English + 3 others) 2 1 3 1 2 2 2
    5 (English + 4 others) 2 2 3 1 3 1 3
  12. Imagine you are preparing for a trip to Europe and you have budgeted $100 (USD) for souvenirs. Before you can buy souvenirs, you must convert your dollars to euros. Roughly how many euros (EUR) can you get for $100 (USD)?
    Results from high school graduates surveyed
    All 18–21 22–24 Disc No Disc Trvl No Trvl
    25 EUR 7 7 6 7 7 4 8
    50 EUR 21 22 20 18 23 14 25
    75 EUR 57 54 61 61 55 69 52
    100 EUR 15 17 14 15 15 14 16
  13. Please indicate how important you think it is to have each of these skills or abilities in today’s world.
    Very important Somewhat important Neither important nor unimportant Not very important Not at all important
    Have strong communication skills
    Have strong critical thinking skills
    Be comfortable interacting with people of different cultural backgrounds
    Have strong writing skills
    Have strong interpersonal skills
    Understand the habits and customs of different cultures
    Have strong math skills
    Understand basic economic principles
    Have strong technical skills
    Understand different cultures
    Know where countries in the news are located
    Understand global economies
    Understand the roots of international conflicts
    Speak a foreign language
    Results from high school graduates surveyed:
    Percent responding “very important” or “somewhat important”
    All 18–21 22–24 Disc No Disc Trvl No Trvl
    Have strong communication skills 82 81 84 85 81 86 80
    Have strong critical thinking skills 80 80 80 82 78 78 80
    Be comfortable interacting with people of different cultural backgrounds 79 78 79 79 79 80 78
    Have strong writing skills 78 78 78 79 77 78 78
    Have strong interpersonal skills 78 79 78 81 77 78 78
    Understand the habits and customs of different cultures 77 78 76 74 79 78 77
    Have strong math skills 77 78 75 82 73 72 79
    Understand basic economic principles 76 75 76 79 73 74 77
    Have strong technical skills 76 77 75 81 73 73 77
    Understand different cultures 75 74 77 78 74 80 73
    Know where countries in the news are located 74 73 74 76 72 77 72
    Understand global economies 74 75 72 75 73 75 73
    Understand the roots of international conflicts 72 71 74 75 71 77 70
    Speak a foreign language 64 66 63 67 63 70 62
  14. How do you rate your own ability in regard to the following skills?
    Very strong Strong disagree somewhat Somewhat weak Weak
    Have strong interpersonal skills
    Be comfortable interacting with people of different cultural backgrounds
    Have strong critical thinking skills
    Have strong communication skills
    Have strong writing skills
    Have strong math skills
    Understand the habits and customs of different cultures
    Know where countries in the news are located
    Have strong technical skills
    Understand different cultures
    Understand the roots of international conflicts
    Understand basic economic principles
    Understand global economies
    Speak a foreign language
    Results from high school graduates surveyed:
    Percent responding “very strong” or “strong”
    All 18–21 22–24 Disc No Disc Trvl No Trvl
    Have strong interpersonal skills 50 49 51 54 48 65 <42/td>
    Be comfortable interacting with people of different cultural backgrounds 49 50 49 54 47 61.5 43
    Have strong critical thinking skills 49 47 51 56 44 63 41
    Have strong communication skills 47 44 50 54 43 61 40
    Have strong writing skills 46 43 49 49 44 58 40
    Have strong math skills 44 42 46 48 42 58 40
    Understand the habits and customs of different cultures 40 41 39 46 37 56 32
    Know where countries in the news are located 39 36 41 44 35 54 31
    Have strong technical skills 38 39 38 45 35 48 33
    Understand different cultures 37 35 40 48 31 55 28
    Understand the roots of international conflicts 36 35 36 41 32 47 30
    Understand basic economic principles 35 36 34 43 30 44 30
    Understand global economies 29 27 30 35 25 42 20
    Speak a foreign language 25 23 28 33 21 36 20
  15. Do you wish you had more instruction in any of the following areas in your 6&8211;12th grade education? Please check all that apply.
    Results from high school graduates surveyed
    All 18–21 22–24 Disc No Disc Trvl No Trvl
    Foreign languages 60 60 59 54 63 62 59
    Math 37 38 36 30 41 35 38
    History 37 42 31 37 36 32 39
    Geography 36 39 32 38 35 31 38
    Science 34 37 31 29 36 31 35
    World Events 31 33 29 30 32 33 30
    Government / Political Science 30 34 26 31 29 30 30
    Economics 28 31 25 31 27 27 29
    World Religion 23 23 22 21 24 32 18
    None of these 10 8 12 13 7 9 10
  16. If you could have had more instruction in just one of the following areas while in high school, which would you choose? Please select only one.
    Results from high school graduates surveyed
    All 18–21 22–24 Disc No Disc Trvl No Trvl
    Foreign languages 31 30 33 35 29 38 28
    Economics 9 7 11 10 8 14 6
    History 8 9 8 10 8 5 10
    Geography 8 7 9 7 8 7 8
    Math 7 10 3 6 7 4 8
    Government / Political Science 7 5 8 6 7 8 6
    World Religion 7 7 6 4 9 2 9
    World Events 5 6 4 6 4 6 5
    Science 2 2 2 2 3 3 2
    None of these 10 11 9 8 11 7 11
  17. Please indicate whether you agree with this statement: “In my 6–12th-grade education, I received instruction that helps me understand the roots of global issues that affect my life today.”
    Results from high school graduates surveyed
    All 18–21 22–24 Disc No Disc Trvl No Trvl
    Agree completely 12 10 14 18 8 20 8
    Agree somewhat 40 39 42 52 33 39 41
    Disagree somewhat 32 33 31 23 38 24 37
    Disagree completely 16 18 13 6 21 18 15
  18. Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements.
    Agree completely Agree somewhat Disagree somewhat Disagree completely
    A solid foundation in world history and events is crucial to coming up with solutions to the problems in the world today.
    Developments abroad can have significant implications for the U.S. economy.
    What happens in the U.S. affects people around the globe.
    Diversity is an asset.
    I am curious about world events.
    Jobs are becoming increasingly international in nature.
    I would like to work with people of different cultures.
    My ability to get and maintain a good job is affected by the fluctuations in the global economy.
    A qualified presidential candidate will have extensive experience traveling abroad.
    I wish that the classes I took in high school had a more global, rather than just national, approach.
    The United States will be a global superpower throughout the 21st century.
    I received a very well rounded and useful high school education.
    I take steps in my personal life to prevent climate change.
    I actively seek out news and information about world events.
    I know more about the world and world events than my parents.
    The United States will continue to be a global superpower by the time I have grandchildren.
    The United States is largely disliked around the world.
    The United States is largely admired around the world.
    The United States will not be a global superpower by the time I have grandchildren.
    I would be a better employee if I had a better understanding of different world cultures.
    My high school teachers knew a lot about global events and incorporated a global perspective into their curriculums.
    The United States has the best public school education system in the world.
    Results from high school graduates surveyed:
    Percent responding “agree completely” or “agree somewhat”
    All 18–21 22–24 Disc No Disc Trvl No Trvl
    A solid foundation in world history and events is crucual to coming up with solutions to the problems in the world today. 86 85 87 88 84 90 84
    Developments abroad can have significant implications for the U.S. economy. 86 89 83 91 83 88 85
    What happens in the U.S. affects people around the globe. 84 84 83 88 81 89 80
    Diversity is an asset. 83 81 85 88 79 90 79
    I am curious about world events. 80 79 81 85 77 86 77
    Jobs are becoming increasingly international in nature. 80 81 79 79 80 83 78
    I would like to work with people of different cultures. 77 76 78 80 75 81 75
    My ability to get and maintain a good job is affected by the fluctuations in the global economy. 76 74 78 80 74 74 77
    A qualified presidential candidate will have extensive experience traveling abroad. 76 73 78 79 74 78 74
    I wish that the classes I took in high school had a more global, rather than just national, approach. 74 71 78 75 74 82 70
    The United States will be a global superpower throughout the 21st century. 72 68 75 72 71 78 68
    I received a very well rounded and useful high school education. 71 65 78 79 66 76 68
    I take steps in my personal life to prevent climate change. 71 64 78 74 70 74 70
    I actively seek out news and information about world events. 70 66 73 80 63 77 66
    I know more about the world and world events than my parents. 70 67 74 74 68 77 67
    The United States will continue to be a global superpower by the time I have grandchildren. 69 65 74 71 69 73 67
    The United States is largely disliked around the world. 68 67 69 70 68 61 72
    The United States is largely admired around the world. 63 61 66 67 61 62 64
    The United States will not be a global superpower by the time I have grandchildren. 62 61 63 62 61 65 60
    I would be a better employee if I had a better understanding of different world cultures. 61 60 63 67 58 66 59
    My high school teachers knew a lot about global events and incorporated a global perspective into their curriculums. 54 48 61 69 45 61 51
    The United States has the best public school education system in the world. 52 48 56 50 53 54 51

    Please note that some of the answers above are seemingly contradictory. For example a majority believe the U.S. is largely admired and a majority say that the U.S. is largely disliked. Please note that most of the overlap is driven by the percentage of respondents who say that they “agree somewhat” with both statements. (The answers displayed in the chart above are the summation of those who agree somewhat and those who agree completely.) While it might seem odd at first glance that the overall agree numbers for these two questions overlap, it is reasonable that many respondents may be conflicted about these questions and would “agree somewhat” with each of these statements.

  19. Do you have a current passport?
    Results from high school graduates surveyed
    All 18–21 22–24 Disc No Disc Trvl No Trvl
    Yes 37 32 43 45 32 85 12
    No 63 68 57 55 68 15 88
  20. Have you traveled outside the United States for short-term experiences (several days — 3 months)?
    Results from high school graduates surveyed
    All 18–21 22–24 Disc No Disc Trvl No Trvl
    Never 69 75 62 61 73 8 100
    Once 9 6 13 8 10 28 0
    Twice 7 6 8 9 5 20 0
    Three times 3 3 3 6 1 9 0
    More than three times 12 10 15 16 10 37 0

    Thank you for participating in our survey!

    For more information about this survey and the source of the data cited, see World Savvy: 2012 Global Competency Survey, from which this survey was adapted.