Britain Trusts Britannica; Encyclopedia More Trusted than Rivals, Media, Major Professions
Chicago, Ill. (PRWEB) October 23, 2014 -- The president of Encyclopaedia Britannica®, Inc. today spoke out about a widely overlooked piece of research that reveals a high degree of trust in his company’s handiwork among the British public.
In a survey conducted recently by YouGov.co.uk, 87 percent of British respondents reported having a significant measure of faith in the truthfulness of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 20 percent more than for Wikipedia and the top British media outlets.
“This is good news for us, of course, but it should also be interesting to anyone who’s followed publishing, education and learning in the digital age,” said Britannica president Jorge Cauz. “It means that at a time when the Internet is awash in questionable content, people still know how to recognize a reliable source.”
The research comes as public perceptions of Internet content may be evolving. Recent years have seen a surge in enthusiasm for “crowdsourcing,” a highly open form of online collaboration used by Wikipedia and other websites, in which many far-flung Internet users are allowed to participate in the creation and editing of content without regard to their experience or qualifications.
The theory, sometimes referred to as “the wisdom of crowds,” is that the large number of contributors will compensate for deficiencies in their individual competencies, producing work of good quality. But as reports have surfaced about the problems with crowdsourcing—which include vandalism, bias, poor writing, and a high error rate—they appear to have reinforced confidence in publications such as Britannica, which practice rigorous editorial methods, using qualified scholars and writers, extensive manuscript review and revision, and thorough fact checking.
The YouGov.co.uk survey was originally designed to compare perceptions of Wikipedia with the mainstream media. Because a question about Britannica was added, perhaps as an afterthought, the survey produced the serendipitous finding that Encyclopaedia Britannica enjoyed more trust not only than Wikipedia but also such highly respected professional groups as doctors and teachers.
The most striking difference between the two online encyclopedias was in the highest category, 35% having a great deal of trust in Britannica as compared with 7% for Wikipedia. Britannica also scored high marks among young people (ages 18-24 and 25-39), dispelling the commonplace myth that these groups prefer newer websites over established sources.
About Encyclopaedia Britannica®, Inc.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. is a global leader in education publishing whose products are available in a range of media, including online and mobile devices. A pioneer in digital publishing since the early 1980s, the company markets a variety of curriculum products for schools, language-study courses, online learning services, encyclopedias and other reference works and language products through its Merriam-Webster subsidiary. The company is headquartered in Chicago.
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Tom Panelas, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., http://info.eb.com, +1 (312) 347-7309, [email protected]
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