From Mainichi online
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20040921p2a00m0dm006000c.html

"Over 40 percent of elementary school children in Japan think the sun
revolves around the earth, a shocking survey conducted by officials at
the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan has found."


"When 348 fourth- to sixth-year elementary school children from four
prefectures including Hokkaido and Nagano were asked to choose one of
two options to correctly describe the earth's relationship to the sun,
only 56 percent correctly answered that the earth revolved around the
sun. A total of 42 percent said the sun revolved around the earth."


And this one:

"When the students were told, "Name the celestial object that revolves
around the earth like a satellite," 39 percent answered, "the moon"
while 27 percent chose "mars" and 24 percent said "the sun.""

But they're really good at math.

John W.