The results as reported in the article (and the original LA Times article [1]) make me think that it was multiple choice, which on an identification question is really pushing particular results. It may indicate that a large number of people don't know what HTML (or the other terms) refer to, but it can't really be taken as indicating what they think they refer to, just what wrong answers the survey presented for them to guess.
Neither article provides a link or citation to the survey itself, just indicates that it was done by a particular coupon website (which seems to have done it as way to get free advertising by way of a pseudoscience press release.)
These types of stats about Americans are a bit misleading. It almost implies that American's are dumb or something. The fact is that 90% of American's know what HTML is. I bet that's higher than most countries if not nearly most.
Does this mean that 1/1000 people on Earth know what HTML is?
Article does not say 90% of Americans know what is HTML. They might have given other wrong answers or simply answered 'I don't know'.
Imho, articles implies that Americans start bullshitting if they don't know what something is, however I don't think this is any different for other countries.
>Do 1/10 people on Earth even know what an STD is?
STD is an abbreviation in English language. I am pretty sure more than 1/10 people on Earth knows that there are sexually transmitted diseases but may not be aware that is is called STD in English.
I think this is the reason all kids should learn basic html. Ask yourself is knowing HTML more important as a life skill than learning cursive writing?
Off-topic, but I've had this question for a while: Are anglo-saxon people against cursive writing, and why? It's the only writing I was taught in school (block-letter writing comes automatically afterwards) and whenever I write, I still write cursive. It's faster for me, although maybe that's because I was taught cursive writing.
Neither article provides a link or citation to the survey itself, just indicates that it was done by a particular coupon website (which seems to have done it as way to get free advertising by way of a pseudoscience press release.)
[1] http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-1-10-ame...