Guns kill more people than Americans think, a survey concluded. (AP)

"Truth isn't truth," a statement offered up by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, has been named the "Quote of the Year" for 2018.

A newly released study by the research firm Ipsos shows why the selection was apt.

"Perceptions are not reality: things are NOT as bad as they seem," states the survey's title.

The annual study, now in its fourth year, charts "how wrong people across 37 countries are about some key issues and features of the population in their country." The survey indicates that, with ideological partisans and corporate PR mavens weaponizing both social media and even some "old media" outlets, citizens' perceptions of reality are more skewed than ever. Some examples:

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Sexual harassment

A majority of the people surveyed in every country underestimated how much sexual harassment women in their country face. Among Americans, the average guess of how many women out of every 100 "say they have experienced any form of sexual harassment since the age of 15": 51.

The actual number: 81

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Sexual activity

People everywhere seem to think young women are having a lot more sex than they actually are.

The average guess among Americans when asked how many times they think, on average, women aged 18-29 in their country had sex "in the past four weeks": 15.

The actual average: 4.

The largest disparity between perception and reality on young women's sexual activity was in Mexico.

The average guess among Mexicans of how many times, on average, a young Mexican woman had had sex in the past four weeks: 29.





The actual average: 4.

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The Associated Press

The country where young women are having the highest actual amount of sex: Canada. They clocked in with an average of 7 times in the "past four weeks."

Survey participants are similarly off-base about how much sex young men are having in a typical four-week period.

In India, the average guess was 32, while the actual number is 3.

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Violence

In Great Britain, 71 percent of those surveyed said most violent deaths in their country resulted from knives. The actual percentage of deaths in the UK from knives: 25.

In the U.S., even though there have been more than 300 mass shootings so far in 2018, Americans underestimate how much gun violence there is in the country.

Fifty-nine percent of Americans guessed that more people were killed by firearms than "sharp objects such as knives or other physical violence." Twenty-eight percent said "other violence" caused the most deaths.

The actual percentage of "interpersonal violence" deaths caused by firearms in the U.S.: 68.

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Energy

People from all but seven of the 37 countries surveyed overestimated the amount of energy their country uses that comes from renewable sources. The average guess for Americans: 26 percent. The actual percentage: 9.

The seven countries whose people underestimated the amount of their energy that comes from renewable sources:

Brazil

Germany

India

Montenegro

Romania

Serbia

Sweden

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The Associated Press

Climate change

Every country underestimated how many of the past 18 years "have been the hottest for the world as a whole since [the World Meteorological Organization] began collecting data in 1961."





Americans' average guess: 10.





The right answer is 17.

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Economy

People "in all countries hugely overestimate the levels of unemployment in their country," Ipsos reports. "Several countries -- such as Brazil, Mexico and India -- think around half of the working-age population is unemployed and seeking work."

The actual number in Brazil: 13 out of every 100 working-age people are unemployed and seeking work.

The actual number in Mexico: Three out of every 100.

The actual number in India: Four out of every 100.

In the U.S., it's also four of every 100.

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Immigration

"In line with previous Perils of Perception studies," Ipsos points out, "nearly all countries hugely overestimate the proportion of immigrants in their country. Several South American countries guess close to 30 percent when the actual figure in under 1 percent."

In the U.S., the average guess is 29 percent. The actual percentage is 15.

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AP

In 36 of the 37 countries included in the survey, people dramatically overestimated the number of Muslims in their country.

The average guess among Americans for the proportion of Muslims in the U.S.: 14 percent.

The actual percentage: 1.

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Ipsos worked up a "Misperceptions Index" that charts which countries are "most wrong."

The countries whose people are "least accurate":

1. Thailand

2. Mexico

3. Turkey

4. Malaysia

5. Brazil

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The countries whose people are "most accurate":

1. Hong Kong (an "autonomous territory," not a country, but close enough for Ipsos' purposes)

2. New Zealand

3. Sweden

4. Hungary

5. Great Britain

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U.S. Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar (AP)

Americans were the 15th most accurate of those surveyed, or the 23rd least accurate.

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More

Check out the Ipsos "Perils of Perception 2018 survey" and its methodology.

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-- Douglas Perry

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