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The Survey

Sir Robert Worcester, Chairman, launches the results of the Magna Carta 800th International Poll on 20th February at the Inner Temple.

The public’s ‘awareness’ of Magna Carta was assessed in 23 countries from Argentina to Canada, India to the US by the Ipsos MORI survey organisation for the Magna Carta 800th Commemoration Committee.

The Magna Carta 800th Anniversary Survey was carried out by Ipsos MORI among 17,061 adults aged 16 – 65 in 23 countries across the world, by internet, using the Ipsos ‘Global Advisor’ monthly survey during January 2015. The survey was weighted to ensure proper representative of each countries’ adult population both demographically and geographically by country, c. 1,000 in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Japan, and United States of America. In addition, c. 500 in Argentina, Belgium, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, and Turkey.

All questions were asked in all countries, with the exception that question 3 was not asked in China.

Eight in ten (79%) British adults are ‘aware’ of Magna Carta, double the 23 country average level of recognition of 39%. Next highest, scoring in the 60s are the USA (65%), Hungary (63%), Italy (62%) and Spain (61%).

In contrast, just six per cent of adults in France say they are aware of Magna Carta, lower than other countries including Poland (10%), China (18%) and South Korea (21%).

Three in four (74%) British adults also claim they are aware of the 1776 US Declaration of Independence and two thirds (64%) the 1948 UN Declaration of Human Rights. Only one in five British adults said they were aware of the Commonwealth Charter – a document signed by Her Majesty Queen in 2013.

The survey included a fictitious ‘International Declaration of Democracy of 1910’, inserted by the pollsters to check how many just guessed. In Britain, one in eleven (9%) mistakenly believe they know about this non-existent document.

Results by Country

Click on the country name to download individual survey results.

Great Britain
Argentina
Australia
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
Hungary
India
Italy
Japan
Mexico
Poland
Romania
Russia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Turkey
USA

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