How bright were the British in 1989?

Where actually is Birmingham?: If you lived in the West Midlands, you probably ought to have known Photograph: no credit

‘How bright are the British?’ the Observer asked on 17 September 1989, turning quizmaster to ask the nation a set of ‘easy’ general knowledge questions, then reporting back on the results, sliced and diced for demographics.

The questions spanned basic arithmetic, culture, geography, history and more. Although none would trouble a University Challenge team, seven of the 2,275 adults who took part got all of them wrong. Only 30 managed a perfect 100%. Scotland was the worst-performing region. North London beat south London and the Greens did better than voters for other parties. Private and state school classes of 12-year-olds pitted against each other resulted in a ‘narrow win’ for private. Women fared worse than men (several prominent female academics declined to take the test), possibly because: ‘They are too busy holding down a job, mothering, wifeing and doing the housework to acquire general knowledge.’