Do you eat too much sugar? What proportion of your country are immigrants? What does it cost to raise a child? How much tax do the rich pay? Are we more ignorant than we used to be? Take a minute to answer these questions. No matter how educated you are, this book suggests you are likely to be very wrong indeed. Informed by exclusive research across 40 countries, conducted by global polling firm Ipsos, The Perils of Perception investigates why we don't know basic facts about the world around us. Using the latest research into the media and decision science, Bobby Duffy asks how we can address our ignorance and why the populations of some countries seem better informed than others. Essential reading in the so-called 'post-truth' era, this book will transform the way you engage with the world.
"Mandatory reading" STEVEN PINKER
"A superb and timely analysis of a genuine and growing threat to democratic debate."
ALASTAIR CAMPBELL
"Fantastic: there are eye-opening and shocking statistics on every page. Perils of Perception may force you to reconsider your most deeply held views."
JAMIE BARTLETT
Boomers are narcissists. Millennials are spoiled. Gen Zers are lazy. We assume people born around the same time have basically the same values. It makes for good headlines, but is it true? Bobby Duffy has spent years studying generational distinctions. In this book, he argues that our generational identities are not fixed but fluid, reforming throughout our lives. Based on an analysis of what over three million people really think about homeownership, sex, well-being, and more, Duffy offers a new model for understanding how generations form, how they shape societies, and why generational differences aren't as sharp as we think. The Generation Myth is a vital rejoinder to alarmist worries about generational warfare and social decline. The kids are alright, it turns out. Their parents are too.
Are millennials entitled and lazy? Are baby boomers the most sexually liberal generation? Was generation X the last group to show loyalty to political parties?
In this original and deeply researched book, polling expert and professor of public policy Bobby Duffy explores how when we're born determines our attitudes to money, sex, religion, politics and much else. Informed by exclusive studies from IPSOS, as well as his own research, Duffy reveals that many of our preconceptions are just that: tired stereotypes.
Revealing and informative, Generations provides a new framework for understanding the most divisive issues raging today: from gun control to climate change and Brexit to the surveillance state. Including data from over 40 countries and interviews across generational divides, this big thinking book will transform how you view the world.
"Simply indispensable. Marrying fascinating data with superb analysis, this is a unique book." MATTHEW D'ANCONA on The Perils of Perception
