Average Person Thinks They Can Survive for Two Weeks in the Wilderness

A survey of 2000 Americans finds that the “average person” thinks they can survive 16 days in the wilderness. The study does not give the percentage of people who make such a claim, but we might assume that a majority of respondents claim a survival time of at least that long. We also don’t know if the survey defined wilderness at all, which is important. “Wilderness” can be the Appalachian Trail, the Yukon, or Death Valley. However, the same survey found that only 17% of respondents felt “very confident” in their ability to start a fire with flint. There seems to be a disconnect here. Other results show that people don’t know as much about nature as they think they do.

While over half the poll (52%) are confident in their ability to identify different types of plants and trees, researchers put that to the test and discovered many weren’t quite as knowledgeable as they claimed. Only a quarter of respondents could identify a black oak leaf, while just 35 percent correctly spotted poison ivy when seeing it in a photo.

As a lifelong enemy of the poison ivy vine, I find that appalling. I hope the 65% never find themselves answering the call of nature in the woods and looking for something to use for toilet paper. Read more results from the survey at StudyFinds. -via Fark

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Source: neatorama

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