Last week, the Gallup Organization released a poll suggesting that, on average, Americans estimate one in four people in this country to be gay or lesbian. If that number seems high, it's not just you. Calculations of the population vary, but most recent surveys place the percentage of gay and lesbian Americans at around 3.5 percent.

Neither are such wild overestimations new to the era of Lady Gaga and Glee. In 2002, Gallup asked the same question and found similar results: the average estimate then was that 21 percent of men were gay and 22 percent of women lesbian. Below are ten further surprising survey results revealing some of Americans' mistaken beliefs about their country -- and world.



Please use a JavaScript-enabled device to view this slideshow

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.