GapMinder Discoveries by Verina Difalco [STAFF]

maria

2020-09-28 13:35:41 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

i did adequately in the gapminder test., the different questions and how much time we had to answer them

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles? i was drawn to the bigger families, and to how much amount of money they were asking for and also their living conditions

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

that alot of the families have issues surounding clean water and financial problems.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I use to think that people from all places use to somehow have access to a good sanatary area, which provided clean water, and also didnt suffere financialy, but i know that there are some cases where families suffer to get everyday supplies.

Sumana

2020-09-30 04:16:47 UTC

1. How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you? 1. I did pretty badly on the test. I got a 31%, which is kind of embarrassing. It surprised me that all of my answers made it seem like I underestimated many countries. Most of my answers were chosen with a negative attitude, so the world seems to be thriving more than I expected. 2. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles? 1. I clicked on the very top one at first, because the family’s house seemed very basic. I noticed I was drawn to the profiles where the families seemed poorer, because their living conditions made me feel very bad for them. 3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see. 1. I noticed that many of the poorer families live in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. I also noticed that many of the larger families have a lower income, in comparison to many couples, who have a lot higher income. 4. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know….. 1. I used to think that people with lower incomes would have less children and a smaller family in order to save more money, but now I know that many people may not consider their economic situation when having children.

Kim

kimdoan1 — 2020-10-01 02:04:51 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

Through the test, I learnt that there is a lot about the world that I still need to learn about! Something that surprised me was how much I underestimated the world's progress in terms of education access for girls as well as vaccines access for small children.

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

I was firstly drawn to the Burundi's family and the family in France because I wanted to see a comparison between the causal links between their drastic income discrepancy. Their living conditions definitely reflects their "dreams", for Burundi it would be to buy a house that they can live comfortably in.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

A trend that noticed that families consisting of less members are usually located in Europe, while larger families are located in Africa. It is interesting to see how despite their low income, young African couples still chooses to have children of their own; yet, several families with higher incomes does not seem to live with one or more members.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think that families in lower income countries mostly consists of impoverished families, despite that there are still a drastic difference between the rich and poor in their area.

Jenna

jtthrasher211_1 — 2020-10-01 15:14:19 UTC

1. How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
I got a 23% on the test, so I did not to very well. When taking the test, I definitely underestimated the numbers, so it was actually a nice surprise when I looked at the correct answers and saw that the world population is doing better than I expected.
2. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
I was first curious to see the family with the highest income. That family is the Larriere family, and they live in the Bretagne province, in France. Then, I looked at a family with a lower income. I've always wanted to live in New York City, so I found a family that lives there. I looked at the profile of the Robinson family, who live in Brooklyn, New York.
3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
I noticed that a lot of the lower-income families obviously lived in low-income countries. However, in the middle of the income range, the variety of different countries was much greater. As for the highest income families, there was a bigger variety than I expected. I also noticed that lots of people live in apartments compared to houses, which I think is interesting.
4. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..
I used to think that water in an apartment or house in a middle-income country was always safe to drink, but I learned that sometimes it isn't and people have to buy their own water.

Lara Marco Marquez

2020-10-01 18:19:33 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I did pretty terrible! I got a 23%. When I did not know the answer to a question, I chose the smallest number. I definitely got those wrong, so it surprised me to learn that more girls are completing the five grade than I had originally imagined.

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

I clicked on the VIetnamese family first. I went to Vietnam during the Holiday’s last year, and wanted to learn a bit more about the income of a Vietnamese family. I was shocked to learn that a family of 7 is living in a home that has 2 bedrooms. I was definitely drawn to countries I had visited before like Rwanda, Vietnam and France. I was also really interested to see the differences between the family with the lowest income and the family with the highest income.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

An observation I made was that there are only 3 families that make between 10,000 and 20,000 dollars a month. I think this shows that the majority of families around the world make less than 10,000 dollars a month. I then looked at each individual continent and saw that the family that had the highest monthly income was a French family. I saw that lots of families wanted to buy a new car in the near future. Having a high income in one country can look different in another.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think that the monthly income of families living in the same country would be somewhat similar, but now know that their can be quite a big gap between monthly incomes.

Welela Solomon

2020-10-01 21:36:43 UTC

1. How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

The biggest thing that surprised me was how much I had underestimated a lot of the questions and I gave responses that were just completely false. This made me begin to think about how much I need to be educated in those areas, and the importance of understanding that knowledge because it can give us a different perception in the world.
2. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

It was quite interesting because I ended up clicking on the top bar where you can set like a measurement of what household incomes you would like to see. I noticed myself gravitating towards looking at households with higher incomes in areas that are not in the United States. It was quite interesting to view that because I realized how even with those incomes, the lifestyles and technological advancements in things are much different. I was particularly drawn to learning about the profile of the Rayez Family, a family of 4, in north-central France. Their lifestyle is what you would call pretty middle-income and it was quite interesting to learn that, even though they live comfortably, they have a lot of issues with different aspects of their home.
4. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…but now I know….

I used to think that those living in middle income and high income households had usually understood their comfortable lifestyles and their privilege, but now I know that that is not completely true and because we are humans we always to be better or have something better, so that reciprocates on how we live our lives so no matter what class we are in, we want to be better.

Noelani Wing

2020-10-02 03:33:18 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I scored a 69% on the gapminder test, but I honestly guessed the numbers based on US statistics that I’ve read. The two things that surprised me were the vaccination rate for children and the deaths from natural disasters. I assumed that very few 1-year-old children have been vaccinated globally, so it was somewhat reassuring to see that 80% statistic. It’s also interesting to consider deaths from natural disasters have decreased even though it feels like the disasters themselves have increased in frequency and damage.

2. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

I clicked on Jordan first because it’s a relatively stable country, considering it borders major conflict zones. I was curious to see what the economy and living conditions are like there since there’s an interesting political dichotomy. I clicked on Haiti next since they’ve suffered so much from natural disasters so I assumed it would be in stark contrast with Jordan.

3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data?
I thought some of the categories were really compelling (“most loved toy,” “ceiling,” “hand palm”). It’s interesting to see how conditions can be represented by seemingly mundane things. A general trend I noticed is the sheer variety in income levels in a single country. I often hear people generalize certain regions as “poor,” which may be true in certain areas, but there’s still economic diversity. Even in the United States, living in Colorado with $800 is possible, while it’s nearly impossible to live in Manhattan with under $2,000 per month.

4. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think of a family’s economic burden in many developing countries always fall on women (keeping girls out of school, traveling to get clean drinking water, etc.), but now I have a better understanding of the effects on the whole family’s health, hygiene, and overall security.

Bethel Mengisto

2020-10-02 06:40:31 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you? I unfortunately could only earn a 23% Although I went into the quiz knowing it would be quite difficult, I was surprised at the simplicity of the questions. I was shocked to see how many questions I thought I knew the answer to, to be very wrong. I think oftentimes in and outside the classroom we let ourselves see the world we in the way we assume it is, and these fairly vague questions on such important topics reminded me to question my presumptions. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles? After the mini-guide, I was drawn to the “common items” section on the dashboard. I think I was immediately drawn to this because it felt like the most efficient way to explore the different lifestyles, and that definitely proved to be not only efficient but also memorable in a lot of ways. From toilets to teeth, what differences and similarities I could find between families and between my own life was very engaging. What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see. I think the difference in the quantity of items was one of the most obvious trends I saw (excluding most loved times). Wether it be the number of toilets to a family or the number of cups, the number of each item seemed to be a direct indication of a families financial wealth. I saw a similar pattern with size, quality, and timeliness of the objects. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know….. I used to think open defecation systems had gone away, considering all that we hear about the projects in place to create proper disposable systems for impoverished communities, but now I know that they are a still very common.

Chehbin Shin

2020-10-02 12:33:14 UTC

1. How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
--> It seems like everyone pretty much got the same score as me. I also got a 31% - you guys are not alone! There were many surprising facts that I learned from this test and one of them was that the world population will have increased by another 4 billion people in 2100 because there will be more adults, instead of very old people. The reason I chose "there will be more very old people" was because I thought the advancement in medical technology in the future will elongate the life span of humans. I also thought that the answer wouldn't be "there will be more adults" because I've seen so many married couples around me that does not want to have babies, and that want to enjoy their marriage life on their own. In addition, since I'm Korean, I've seen a lot of news articles claiming that the fertility rate in Korea now is just a little above 1, which is extremely low. Perhaps, I generalized the world too much which I shouldn't have.

2. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
--> I first skimmed through some of the photos on the website, but the first photo that I clicked was the house of the Somalian family who escaped from the war. I was shocked because their house was made out of clothes and it seemed extremely unstable. As there is a yellow bucket on the floor, it seems like the water source is quite far from their house, and I can't even guarantee if the water is safe to drink. It is sad to see the effects of wars on the people of that country. The war must have impacted the social and economic status of that family, which would of course have impacted their health too. Not having access to clean water and not consuming enough nutrients make them vulnerable to various diseases.

3. What were some observations
you made by looking at the data?
--> I realized that some of the countries are experiencing an extensive disparity between the poor and the rich. For example, there are families that live off with around an income of $600 for 3 people, but there were also families that live off with $6,000 for 3 people as well. Another example would China, as the income ranges from $133 for 2 people to $4,000 for 4 people. This might be detrimental for poor people because the living cost might be suited to the middle-class or rich people meaning that they won't have enough money to have access to healthy food, clean water, and health care, unless the government provides them.

4. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here
--> I used to think that families with more income would have more people in their household but it actually seems like, obviously there are exceptions, people with less people in their household have more income. I can't really think of a reason for this phenomenon but maybe because for poor families, they have only a limited number of people who can actually earn money?

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you? I didn't do great, I believe I got a 31 percent. The thing I tend to forget about is that other countries have issues that I don't even think about such as food, clean water, doctors, school, child labor, wars being in my backyard, and so many more. When I saw the questions, I thought they were easy and thought about everything in a negative mindset. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles? I clicked on the first picture, you can see in the picture that the house is very small and dirt is everywhere. You can see the mother with 3 of her children, their clothes look very dirty and beat up. What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see. A trend that I saw through out this website were, big families tend to struggle more than couples even though they have more people working in their family. I also made the realization that many people in Africa, Asia and parts of South America have lower incomes than the "norm". Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know….. That not all places have clean water, sanitation, education, nice clothing, food, amongst others too. In fact I used to think that if you were poor, you would have a smaller family. That makes sense to me, right? But many countries across the world don't have that option, because they need children to work for their community and for the families well being. Even if you have a lot of family members working it is still extremely difficult to pay for day to day items, things are expensive. We need to stop thinking everyone has the resources we do, because in reality that isn't true at all. Politically it would be difficult because if your country has a lot of poverty, your government has a high chance of struggling too. Meaning, if you had an epidemic it would be difficult to pay for treatments, if a war breaks out, you wouldn't have much money to support you troops. Lastly socially, I am very blessed and fortunate to go shopping and hanging out with my friends, I didn't even consider the fact that people don't have the same opportunities as I do.

2020-10-02 13:03:43 UTC

Reagan Bice

Layne Corcoran

2020-10-02 15:40:44 UTC

1. On the GapMinder test, I got a 15%. I knew I was not going to do awesome on the test due to the lack of knowledge I have on worldwide statistics, but I did not think I was going to do that poorly. I wrongly assumed that all of the questions would be the lowest, but that was not the case. The most surprising thing I learned was that a very small fraction of the world population lives in the Americas. I was also shocked that by 2100 there will be 4 billion more adults on Earth. It was also interesting that the deaths from natural disasters have decreased. I assume that is because we have better technology to help warn people before natural disasters occur.
2. When I first went to the Dollar Street Site I clicked on Families in the world most loved items. This opened up my eyes because I saw how different people in other part of the world live. Some of the simplest items I have in my house like a bucket or a small woven purse are the most loved items someone else owns. I was also drawn to the pets of different people in the world. It was interesting to see that no matter where you are in the world pets are still in many homes. In Tanzania, someone who makes $32 dollars has the same pet as someone in Mexico who makes $6,342. What shocked me the most was when I saw people's drinking water. While someone in China is drinking out of a filtered tap, someone in Burkina Faso is drinking out of a ceramic vase. From a global health perspective, it is easy to see how living conditions and where someone lives greatly effects the health in an area of the world.
3. I noticed that every once in a while someone in a low income country has one or two "normal" things like a flip phone or a Fanta to drink. For us, seeing these things are normal, but for them it is probably a once in a lifetime thing. This gives me perspective on how sheltered and privileged I am to live how I live, and what I can do in my life to help the people in these low income communities have access to many of the necessities in life.
4. I used to think that only the lowest income countries in the world do not have access to many of the things I consider "normal", but now I know even countries I consider higher income still struggle and no where is perfect

2020-10-02 16:22:17 UTC

off with $6,000 for 3 people as well. Another example would China, as the income ranges from $133 for 2 people to $4,000 fo

Mckenzie Campbell

2020-10-02 16:33:16 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I got 38% on the gapminder test, and I was surprised with some of the questions because recently I feel like I’ve been seeing a lot of negative news, so it was interesting to see some of the more positive statistics. The thing that probably surprised me most is how none of the species that were endangered have become more endangered.

On the Dollar street site, think about how you navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

I was originally brought to families in the world by income, and to be honest I had no idea how to navigate the site, so I just clicked around and tried to find patterns between the data. But then I went to the things I dream of having sectionand clicked on the first item and realized that these were more than pictures; they are stories of people around the world. I began to read the profile sort of thing and I was incredibly intrigued by these people. One profile I was particularly drawn to was the Kabura family from Burundi, just because of their family profile picture, they seemed very close to one another, and while I don’t know much about this family I felt some sort of connection to them. It really upset me to see that this family doesn’t have a house and that it’s their dream to own a house someday, because it is something I take for granted everyday.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

I observed that the people that had higher monthly incomes had incredibly different things that they dreamed of owning compared to some of the people with lower monthly incomes. For example, the dream of a family in Malawi (monthly income 46) is to own a bike for the house, while the dream of a French family (monthly income 19,671) is to own a sculpture called ‘l'homme qui marche’, something that is less practical than the kind of things the people with lower incomes wished for.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think that people live similarly to me but now I know that I am incredibly privileged to have the things I have and live the way I live.

2020-10-02 18:18:34 UTC

Ona Ortiz-Gudeman

2020-10-02 18:19:43 UTC

1. How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
I got a 23% and although I saw other people not doing great for some reason I thought I was going to do better (I don't even know). I realized I'm kind of a pessimist when it comes to things like global warming and equality and other issues like that. Seeing that things aren't as bad as I thought was actually really nice. I was most surprised that the number of people in poverty has halved.

2. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
The first thing I did was go to the poorest few families and the richest few families. After going through their family profiles I switched to looking at most loved items, books, teeth, bowls and other items that seem rather everyday but I was interested to see how items like this were actually very representative of how people lived. I also remembered that I had read somewhere that more people have cellphones than toilets so I looked at toilets but it seemed like that statistic I thought I had seen was wrong. I also wanted to see the USA because that is where I live and Mexico because that is where my family is from. And there was a Mexican family with the same name as mine so that drew my eye.

3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data?
My first observations were of race, I saw that all of the poorest families were POC and the richest families were almost all white. For the most loved items I noticed a trend that for the lower income families their most loved item was something practical while the higher income families it was something sentimental. In general I took that more wealthy families have better access to clean and safe facilities, while the lower income families didn't which probably lets communicable diseases spread much more easily than in the higher income countries. Taking into account that those same families who are most at risk probably don't have reliable healthcare access means that they should be the focus when looking at a lot of global health issues (that are communicable).
4. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think that the way my family lived wasn't far off from the norm but now I know how privileged I am and how problematic it is to even think that. I go to a private school and I used to compare myself and my family to the other much more wealthy families but I never thought about how the rest of the world lives. I think a lot of people do this and it also causes us to ignore the places that need help especially in the sense of global health.

Emi Takayama

emit221 — 2020-10-02 19:08:59 UTC

1. How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
I did quite horrible on the gapminder test because I often chose the worst possible outcome. It is interesting to see how my perception of the world compares to reality. I realized that I have a very pessimistic world view! I was surprised that 80% of the world has access to electricity, and that the life expectancy, on average, is 70. The answers from the quiz make me feel a bit more hopeful about our current situation.

2. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
I clicked on a family from Burundi, the Butoyi family, first. It was the first profile I saw on the Dollar street site, but I was also intrigued by the fact that they live on $27 a month. I was interested in learning about how they make do with what they have. I noticed that they have a clean source for water, although the profile did not specify how close this was to their home (it did say it took 40 minutes to collect water). Most of their money is spent on food, which makes sense because it is necessary for life. They spend much time collecting firewood as well, to cook food with.
After reading about this family, I wanted to learn about a variety of other incomes, so I looked for one in the opposite extreme and one in the middle of the range. I chose the other families based more on personal connection or because I was drawn in by the income value. For example, I picked a family with $845 per month income that lived in Brazil because my mom grew up there. I picked another family from France that had $19,671 per month because they had the highest income on the “street.”

3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
As I was going from high to low income, I noticed the quality and quantity of the families’ possessions decreasing. It was interesting to see how many low-income families had one treasured item they owned (e.g. a radio or a pet goat); I did not see this with higher income families. I also found that as I moved down the street (high to low income), I could see the prioritization of certain objects like combs, cooking equipment, and toothbrushes.

4. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…but now I know…
I used to think that low income families had a small amount of children (maybe 1 or 2) to limit more financial burden, but now I know, it could be the opposite. Many of the higher income families had less children and vice versa. Many of the low-income families I saw included single mothers as well – creating an incredibly difficult situation. I think it is possible that they have more kids to help out the parents (i.e. getting clean water, perhaps working to get some money).

Yvonne Li

2020-10-02 19:15:53 UTC

1. How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I got a 69% on the gapminder test. I took a class last year that focused on global issues so I feel like I had a pretty good idea of the state of our world. When I first took a test, similar to this one, I generally put the worst possible option. I think it was partially because in the media we really only hear about the bad stuff and our general perception of the outside world is that it's filled with sadness and evil. The one that really surprised me was that 80% of children under 1 have received a vaccination. I think this was surprising because my immediate reaction is to think of the kids who are born into poverty and really don't have a shot at getting a vaccination, but then I think of that in the large scope of the world and it makes sense that they only make up a small % of the general population.

2. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
The family that really caught my eye was Mortensen family from New York. When we hear about poor countries of families with low income, you normally don't think of families in the United States, especially if you are talking in the larger scope of the world. US is one of the most economically strong nations in the world and New York is a hegemony for the economy. I think it is always good to remind yourself that there are people in your backyard who are struggling. The economically strong nation that we have created makes it hard to survive for many families that if they were to move else where they could thrive. So although $898 is on the "richer" side of this graph, in terms of living in New York especially, that is nowhere near enough money to sustain a good lifestyle.

3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
What I noticed was that as families income decreased the things they valued were less materialistic and more practical. I think it's easy for us to take pride in things like our television, our car, our computers, but the real things that actually matter many people don't have so with the things that they do have, they take a lot of pride and security in.

4. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..
I used to think that the world was a lot scarier and more unequal but now I know that there is hope and in general, things are looking up and we are on an upward trend (sort of).

Caitlin Matthews

2020-10-02 20:21:22 UTC

1.How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I did pretty lousy, I got a 23%. Many of my answers were based on a negative view of the world thinking that the world is getting worse.I definitely have misconceptions about the world. For example, I underestimated the percentage of families that have electricity, and the education provided for girls. I was rather surprised how far off I was but happy that the areas I thought were weak are doing a lot better than I thought they would be doing.

2. On the Dollar street site, think about how you navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

I started to look at the pictures of the families and realized that there were many similar income levels of families from many different areas.The way I picked the families was to look at similar incomes but from different countries and see what the similarities and differences were. The first family that I looked at was the Sdanmbulyak family from Ukraine (10,090) . This family was to the right of the screen. The reason I looked at them first was that their monthly income was high in comparison to the others and it just stuck out and I wanted to compare it to a similar income level from a family from a different area like the Bi family from China (10,098). The next two families that I compared were two families with similar incomes from the middle of dollar street but from different areas. One family was the Bianma from China(960)and the String family from theUnited States (960). I was interested to see how they were similar and different from this income level. The last two families I looked at were from the left part of the screen with a low income level, the Jacques family from Haiti(39/month) and the Wizilamu family from Malawi (39/month).

3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data?

These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
What I noticed was that people with similar income levels have a very similar life to another family around the world. They have similar things and access to basic needs without living in the same areas of the world.. I could compare 2 different families from two different areas like the Bianma family from China and the Stringini family from the United States. You can't really tell what country they are just by just looking at the pictures. The Stringini family and the Bianma family both have similar things like toilets ,cooking pots,cutlery dishwashing soaps, toothbrushes toilets and clean water and also similar dreams of what they would like to have.The next two families I linked together were the Jacques family from Haiti and the Wizilamu family from Malawi both with the same incomes of 39 per month but from two different parts of the world. There I also found it was very hard to tell where they were from different places since they had so many similarities like their cooking pots ,cutlery (their hands), their toothbrushes( their fingers),lack of toilets and no shoes. What I noticed is that families with the same income levels are very similar even though there are differences in the country they are from with different cultures and also I started to see that money plays the largest role in determining what people have basic needs like toilets, tooth brushes ,shoes and clean water. Not everything that I thought that is common to the United States like shoes ,clean water ,toilets and toothbrushes are available in every place. The families from all over that have higher incomes have access to these basic needs than the poorer families don’t have these things to keep them healthy.You can also see how different a person's life is for families from the same country when their income level is different. These differences have a very big impact on a person's health. We can see that these differences are more based on economics than cultural differences and there is a very big imbalance.

4. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think that there were many differences in how people live because they were from different countries but now I see that there are similarities among people with the same income level that are living in different countries.

Lindy Bobrow

2020-10-02 22:58:30 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I did not do well and I got a 23%. I took a class a few years ago about this information so I am actually surprised about my answers, I thought I would do a little better. I chose the worst outcome for most of them and I am surprised about most of the answers.

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

I am learning a lot of new information from this website. There are many countries I have never heard of and I am very surprised about monthly incomes. I clicked on the Kabore family from Burkina Faso in Africa. Their monthly income is $29. This really caught my eye because it made me think about my life and how they differ. This family works so hard just to get water when we just turn on a faucet. It made me feel very fortunate and lucky.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data?

When looking at the data, I noticed that a lot of the poorer countries were in Africa. Many of the monthly incomes were in the twenties. I noticed how a lot of these families spent a lot of time just trying to get basic necessities. When the more fortunate people have the ability to just have these basic necessities, I think they forget about what people in poorer countries are doing and how they are living in certain conditions.

I used to think that many people all around the world had similar life styles but I now know that all different people have different challenges and there is a variety of ways to live life.

Sweta

2020-10-02 23:36:26 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
1. I got a 31% on the test, which made me realize that I need to start paying more attention to global health issues. I was surprised by the percentage of girls from low-income countries that receive schooling until 5th grade. The percentage was higher than I thought, and it made me realize, much like my classmates are saying, that the news definitely perpetuates negative news, so I guess I just assumed the worst possible outcome for that questions.
On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
1. I was drawn to the profiles featuring families from India because most of my family lives in India, and I wanted to observe the way other Indian families lives differed from my family's life. I thought it was super interesting that the site featured pictures of simple items like books and even pictures of teeth and hands. That really goes to show that people's lives, including their physical appearances can be so greatly affected by their income.

Peyton Singletary

2020-10-03 02:36:57 UTC

1. How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
A. I received a 38% on the gapminder test. This low score allowed me to address the stereotypes or misconceptions that I have about the world we live in. I will admit that I believed our world was in worse shape, as I often chose the worst outcome for many of my answers. An aspect of the quiz that surprised me most was the fact that extreme poverty has halved in the last 20 years. I know that poverty is very real and very widespread, so I am glad that my guess was incorrect. Most of my answers provided a sense hope for the better future that we can create in the years to come.

2. On the Dollar Street Site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
A. When initially navigation the Dollar Street Site, I visited the richest and poorest sides of the spectrum. I think that this spectrum of wealth was appealing, because I knew that the family profiles would be very different. I wanted to get a broad view of the wealth within our world and understand the certain social and economic features that constitute "richest" and "poorest." I was surprised to see that within certain countries, wealth could be so starkly distributed. For example, two families in India make $31 vs $6,606/month. This vast difference goes to show that economic factors, such as working as a fruit collector vs professional, can lead to great inequities in wealth distribution. Also, the stark differences could be attributed to location or social determinants, being that one family lives on encroached land while the other lives in an apartment in another part of India.

3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data?
A. A few observations I made from the data set include great inequity of wealth distribution and the appreciation or lack of objects that I consider a part of my everyday life. The wide gaps between the monthly incomes of families within the same country is very new to me. I did not believe that so many inequities could be present, and not only is this upsetting, but encouraging. I am encouraged to learn more and educate others about the effects and causes of poverty worldwide. An example of this vast difference is the way of life of the Chowdhury and Rani families. For the Ranis, water is not a scarce resource, but a regular privilege that the Chowdhury family does not share. The Chowdhurys are a family of 6 that live in a one bedroom home, while the Ranis are a couple that live in a three bedroom apartment. It is hard to wrap my head around the very different lifestyle of these families; however, I know that determinants are often not caused or controlled by individuals, but the society they live in. I also noticed that European countries have greater monthly incomes than the rest of the world, besides some parts of the "Americas," such as the US. I hope we will discuss the reasonings within our new unit, because I believe it is important to understand how the world, unfortunately, benefits some, but not all.

4. I used to think that I understood how privileged I am within a society that has stark differences between the haves and have nots, but I now know that I have only scraped the surface of my privilege. I believe this realization is important, because in order for the world to become a better place or even start making necessary changes to inequities, everyone must acknowledge that they're privileged in some way or another.

Olivia France

2020-10-03 03:07:38 UTC

1. How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

a. I got a 69% on the test and I was honestly surprised, I expected myself to do worse. I think a lot of the ones I got wrong, I was imagining worst-case scenario because I often have a cynical outlook on global events. However, I think a lot of the classes I have taken such as global issues and global development helped me with a lot of the questions. I underestimated a lot of the numbers such as the number of people who have access to education or electricity.
2. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

b. The first place I clicked on was Burundi. I think what interested me the most was the contrast between my life and this family's lives. This family takes 40 min to collect water, while my sink pours water with the flip of a switch. Their favorite, and surely on items, are their clothes and cattle. I wouldn't think of labeling my clothes as a favorite item, but I forgot that they are a luxury that I have such an abundance of, it does not seem to cross my mind to be thankful for it.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

c. I think it was interesting how the price varied by country. You could have an equal amount of money in two different countries and be offered two completely different level of houses. A lot of the poorest households financially, were located in previously colonized areas. It is sad that countries came in and depleted countries of their resources, leaving them to recover alone. Majority of the low income families dreamed of basics such as the home of Pierro wishing to buy a chair.

I used to think that I realized how privileged I was, but now I know that there is no real way of measuring the amount of privilege I was granted at birth. I have barely explored the simple things that I take for granted on a daily basis such as running water or a bed.

Isabel Rovinsky

2020-10-03 03:19:31 UTC

1. How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
- I got a 36% on the gapminder test. I wish I was able to get a better score, but I guess this shows that I do not know as much about how the world works and how different parts of the world work as well as I thought I did. Going into the quiz, I thought the worst about the world. When the question came up about what percentage of females have gone to school(not exact question), I thought that I had a pretty good idea since I remembered hearing that not many females had the opportunity to go to school in other counties, but it turns out I had low hopes for the world and the percentage was actually higher than I thought it was going to be. This gave me hope that the world is better off than I imagined it to be and that there are possibilities for it to become much better over time.

2. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
- When I first opened Dollar Street, I immediately wanted to see what the highest and lowest incomes were. I wanted to see if there were any patterns with where the lowest and highest incomes were from. First, I looked at the different options you could pick to narrow down the results of families on the page shown. There wasn't really one thing that I was drawn to right away. I was interested in looking around and seeing the differences between the families and what types of things each family had in various parts of the world.

3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
- I observed that many or most of the lower income families were from India or Africa. The European families tend to be on the wealthier side. I found it encouraging that even the lowest income families were very grateful for their houses. Even if it is a one bedroom house that needs to fit six people they are still just so glad to have a roof over their heads. Looking through some of the profiles and seeing the major differences and inequalities that are so prevalent within the families posted on the website, makes me loose hope for change and making sure that everyone has access to clean water and quality life styles. Even the necessities like clean water are not a guarantee for every family.

4. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..
- I used to think that I had a good understanding on what challenges and opportunities certain people in different countries had but now I know that many people, like myself only know little bits. We may know that not everyone is payed equally or given equal access to resources, but until you really look deeper, you are not able to fully understand what some families have to go through on a daily basis to make sure that food is on the table and that they are able to live a good life.

kjiang4 — 2020-10-03 03:57:20 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I got 23% on the gapminder test for the first time, and I got 83% for the second time. It is a low grade for me, so I want to improve it. It is not hard, but it is challenging for me. I guess most of the questions, and I have some misconceptions too. This score is not surprising for me, because I acknowledge my shortage of knowledge in the world issue. What does surprise me is that some issues are not too bad and are improving. After going through the answers, I realize that a few questions that I overestimate it, but most I underestimate the majority of the questions. The world is getting better, and some stereotype issues are improving. For example, people are taking care of endangered animals, 50% of people can have a good income, and women can have 9 years of education compared to men who have 10 years, etc.

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

When I navigate the data, the pictures of the family really catch my eyes. Looking at the background, some people stand in front of fancy houses or nice environments, but some are not good. Then, I look at the monthly income of each family below the pictures. Family incomes vary a lot. In general, more people in the family have a higher income per month. There is a big difference between each family and income level. The first family profile I look at is the Butoyi family in the province of Makanba, Burundi. It is the first show on my screen and the picture of their family standing in front of the mud house attracts me. Also, the number 28% monthly income brings me to look inside what their lives look like and what I can do to help them.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

Firstly, I notice that the family who has a lower monthly income or lives in a poor condition is mostly from Africa, Asia, and South America. Although some of them live in the same area or the same country, they experience different lives.

Secondly, the family who has a low income always has only one person work to support a big family, because there is only one person who is able to work and support the children to go to school and take care of the elderly.

Thirdly, I look at the first family's profile that I opened. The living condition is not good, and they do not have a lot of necessary living supplies and electricity as well. Their dream is to buy a house for themselves. It might not be a difficult thing for most people, but I think the Butoyi family really needs a house to support their family. Imelda is the mother, and she is taking care of four children and in a 2-bedroom house. I do want to help them since the mother is working hard on her own farmland to support the whole family. Then, I also look at other families, and I see various living styles and conditions between different income levels, countries, and families. I look at two families in China because their profiles are next to each other and the living conditions present a sharp contrast. The qin family lives in a rented 2-bedroom house in Kunming, and their family monthly income is 494 dollars per month. Three people in the family are working, and they have all the basic necessities for living. While the Bi family also lives in Kunming, and they have a relatively much higher living quality. There are 9 people in the family, and the family monthly income is 10,098 dollars and 1,122 per person. They are doing business, and one a big house and cars. Their goal is to have a bigger size of house. Both of the two families are in the same city, but one family is much better than the other, which shows a big difference between families and their living conditions.

Last but not least, I also look at other family’s profiles, and all of them have a goal. They are all working hard to achieve them.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think the people living in developed cities or countries have a higher living standard and income, but now I know they also face a lot of obstacles. I used to think the people living in the same area or countries should have similar lives, but now I know I used to think that people who have a better income will have an easier and happier life, but now I know everyone is still working hard to achieve their dreams and having their pressures. Yet, they are still smiling and having a positive attitude seeing from their pictures.

So, what can we do to help them?

Pablo Joseph

2020-10-03 04:07:22 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
I got an 85% on the gapminder test. I was surprised to see how many questions I got right and how I was able to think about the questions on a world scale not just the bigger places I pay the most attention to.

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
When on the Dollar street site, I clicked on the poorest spectrum to learn how these people have been able to survive. I was in shocked to see how big some of the families are and how little they earn to support everyone. I was drawn to a family in Ivory Coast who are made up of 6 in a 1 bedroom house. Not only does the male of the house support his kids and wife, he also has his brother in law living with them. Their bathroom is a hole in the floor and their ceiling is made of paper which is shocking to see how these people have to live in these inhuman environments. I also clicked on families in Colombia because that is where I am from and I have seen first hand what many unfortunate families go through and even the fortunate ones. I thought I was expecting to see how the low income families lived like but seeing these pictures and reading there stories, I really need to pay more close attention when I go back hopefully there are some initiatives I can take.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
A trend I noticed is when you put the line at the poorest most people tend to live in Africa and when you look at the rices they mostly live in Europe. Also how the families in Africa tend to have larger amount of people in very small spaces with 1-2 rooms why looking into Colombia I saw smaller families living with larger houses with 2-4 rooms.
One main trend I saw was that proper sewer in Africa was a huge issue and many people have to use a hole in the floor and have no way in taking sanitary measure to protect themselves. People In Europe tend to have at least a proper sewage system which is something they don't have to worry about when trying to make ends meet.
Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..
I used to think that many of the income inequalities issues in countries around the world were being addressed but now I know that in reality I don't see much progress and seeing what families have to live and go through on a day to day basis with little to no help is something that no one can overlook.

Iman Thiam

2020-10-03 22:08:22 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you? - I received a 38% on the gapminder test. I was so shocked because going into it I genuinely thought that I had a good sense of what the world looked like. This made me realize that school and good education doesn't mean you know everything, I should really be going out of my way to research important things. What surprised me was the number of deaths by natural disaster question and the number of children vaccinated.
On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles? - I clicked on India and Nigeria because I know they are highly populated countries and was expecting to see more of a range in income. The ranges were large with some families making a couple thousand dollars a month and some making less than $50.
What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

- When looking at two low income families from India - one making $30 monthly, the other $220- I noticed the differences $190 could make for a family larger than 3 people. It allows basic running water from a pump, more conventional hand and body soap, utensils and stove tops.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I was knowledgable on general world topics but now I know there is a lot more research I have to do and I should continue to use gapminder as a basis of learning.

Caroline Osborne

2020-10-04 00:17:23 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I got a 46% on the gapminder test. I was surprised to find out that contrary to my own beliefs, my worldview is actually quite narrow and western centric.

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

I clicked on Malawi first because I have done research projects in school on Malawi and I know of the prevalence of poverty in the country. Even knowing that it is one of the poorest counties in the world, I still did not expect the range of income to be as limited as it was. Given that income was between $31-$84 for all families, I now understand just how void some countries are of social mobility.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

I was interested in the fact that there is a pretty significant wealth gap for Chinese families. Since it is a communist country, I did not expect there to be quite as much of a disparity in income as there was in reality. This was consistent with Vietnam- another communist state.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think that there was more opportunity for economic growth in many countries, but now I understand that in much of the non Western world there is a very low financial ceiling for families.

Sophia Temple

2020-10-05 00:28:00 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I was not expecting to get an 18% on the gapminder test. I realized that I wasn't really being openminded and thinking about countries that are much different. I also didn't think I was going to get so many wrong answers on the questions regarding the whole world.

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

The first one I clicked on was Rupa, Indonesia because of how different it looks from where I live. I was drawn to it because of how different it was, given that it has no toilet facility. It made me realize that although other countries may not have as much money, they make do with what they can. Also, given that the father, Nemo, works 60 hours to provide for his family shows the amount of hard work that he puts into making his home life doable.
3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
One trend I noticed was that most of the countries with the lowest income were Africa, parts of India, Asia, and Guatemala. The countries with higher income were United States, France, Brazil, and Italy. One thing that also interested me was the fact that one area of a country can have a much higher income, while the other may not have as much.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think that most countries had middle income, while a smaller portion had small income, but now I know that in reality, there are many countries who still struggle and work for a higher income. I will continue to learn and try to understand this more.

Sarah Heuer

sarahheuer1 — 2020-10-06 15:32:24 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I scored a 38% on the Gapminder test, and I was really suprised as to how poorly I did. I thought that I had an okay grasp on income/poverty levels across the world, but I think there is a lot more for me to learn. My strategy for answering the questions was to choose the lowest answer which not always correct. One fact that really surprised me was that there will be no change in the amount of children in the world today to year 2100 (two billion).

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

I started off by clicking on each far side of the data, looking at the poorest and richest families in the world. I was interested in looking at this range because I wanted to see the contrast in lifestyles and see where many of these families lived. I then changed the location to the ‘United States’ and thought it was really interesting to see different income levels in my own country.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

I noticed that many of the high-income families consisted of professions that required a high level of education. Many of the jobs included sales, finance, and other office jobs. I thought it was really powerful how many of low-income families had hopes to buy a house, and not worry about getting their next meal, while high-income families have plans to travel all around the world.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think that poverty was an issue around the world but now I know that there are so many different factors in each location that requires money. Also, after observing the different ‘hopes’ for lower and upper class families, I think it is clear how sometimes people do not understand their privilege and the ways in which there are many inequalities that need to be corrected.

Sofia Zimmer

2020-10-06 18:36:55 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I ended up scoring a 31% on the gapminder test, which is not at all what I expected. I already had an assumption that I would do poorly, but as I was going through the test, I felt confident about my answers. When I received my score back I was stunned that I didn't know as much about the world as I thought I did. The correct answers to alot of the questions are actually better than I expected, like the number of years that 30 year old women have spent in school (9) or the amount of people across the world that have access to electricity (80%). I assumed the worst for many of these questions and was wrong, proving that I should do more research on important topics like these.

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

I first started by comparing the upper half incomes around the world to the lower half incomes, and there were stark differences. $510 a month is considered middle class in Pakistan, whereas $1,035 is middle class in Latvia. It's interesting how large families can live off of smaller sums of money in some countries (Ndikumwami family in Burundi), but larger monthly incomes don't get you very far in others (Hadley family in USA).

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

I noticed that countries like the US have large gaps between the lower and upper class incomes (and most have higher incomes at around $1,000 per month), whereas countries like Burundi are mainly lower class (with most of their incomes on this website being under $50).

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think I was well-educated on global statistics like education or income, but now I know I should do more research and educate myself about what is really happening around the world.

Sydney Lee

2022-10-02 11:24:38 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I received a 50% on the gapminder test. Although I have seen lots of people score quite low on this test, I was quite disappointed with my score. This really opened my eyes to our progress as a globe in the past decades.

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

Personally, I was pretty scattered on this site. I wanted to really explore and see how much financial range there was in each country. I was particularly drawn to looking at the average financial state of families in countries that are typically portrayed as poor.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

On this site, I noticed just how much variety there was in income for each country. Despite a country having a generally poorer or wealthier economy, there was so much financial diversity within each country and region.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think that the world had a lot less hope of progress in a plethora of different areas, but now I see that as a globe, we have progressed more than I earlier believed.
Also, as a person living in the Middle East, I think that sometimes the media portrays Asia, Africa, and the Middle East as poor, helpless places when in reality they aren't as far back as some people may think. While I do believe that the Western world is more developed in some ways, these regions are not in the same state as they were 50 years ago.

Zoey Cosgrove

2022-10-02 13:14:57 UTC

1. How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I scored a 38% on the gapminder test. I was a bit shocked as I was confidently selecting answers only to see they were wrong. My perception of the globe is clearly outdated as I was completely unaware of the progress made throughout the globe.

2. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
The first thing I did was go to the poorest few families and the richest few families. After going through their family profiles I switched to looking at most loved items, books, teeth, bowls, and other items that seem rather every day but I was interested to see how items like this were actually very representative of how people lived. It was so interesting to see the contrast between the poorest and richest and how the items one family may hold dear, could have no significance to another.

3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

My first observations were of race, I saw that all of the poorest families were POC and the richest families were almost all white. For the most loved items, I noticed a trend that for the lower income families their most loved item was something practical while for the higher income families it was something sentimental. In general, I took that more wealthy families have better access to clean and safe facilities, while the lower income families didn't which probably lets communicable diseases spread much more easily than in the higher income countries.

4. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think that families in lower-income countries mostly consist of impoverished families, despite a drastic difference between the rich and poor in their area.

Shayaan Zaidi

2022-10-03 20:16:20 UTC

1. How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I got a 38% on the gapminder test because I only answered 7 out of 18 questions correctly. I was very surprised by how only 1% of people in high-income countries live in extreme poverty because I thought that the number would be closer to around 5 to 10 percent. I was also surprised that almost 20% of world companies have a woman as CEO or top manager because I have been exposed to so many cultural criticisms about wage gaps and other obstacles women face in the workplace that I thought this percentage would be significantly lower.

2. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

The first thing I did was compare the family with the lowest world income in Burkina Faso with the family with the highest world income in France to see the difference in their living conditions. I was really drawn to a profile featuring the Ashe family in India because of the image of the Indian girl holding a white doll which it says is her favorite toy, as I think that the image really says a lot about the relationship between western capitalism and developing nations.

3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

I noticed that when I switched from the world street to the street for just the United States, there were no houses at all on the first half of the street, showing how poverty in the United States is hardly comparable to extreme global poverty. I also noticed a large disparity in water collection methods between families living in more and less wealthy countries, with some families having to pump or collect water straight from rivers while others could just turn the sink on and have access to water. I was also surprised that even many of the poorest families had jewelry, as I expected only the second half of the street to feature jewelry.

4. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think that all people living in poverty face a fairly similar degree of poverty and deal with similar issues, but now I know that poverty in western countries is much less severe and also less prevalent than poverty in other nations.

Kate Nielsen

2022-10-04 05:15:25 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I got 33% on the gapminder test. This really opened up my eyes about how wrong my perception of poverty, climate change, population and economic issues is around the world.

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
When looking through the Dollar street website, I first looked at both ends of the spectrum (the family making 30 dollars/month in India and the family making almost 14k/month in France). I was most interested in the dream items/purchases for the household.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

I noticed that a lot of the families (regardless of income) wanted to upgrade or repair their current houses. Other than that, most of the families will lower incomes and that lived in developing countries were hoping to buy something to help them prepare food or earn more money (ex cattle, stove).

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think that I had a better perception on topics covered in the gapminder quiz (poverty rates, climate change) but now I know that I could definitely be more educated on those topics.

Allison Whellan

2022-10-04 15:40:25 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I did very poorly on the gapminder test- a 23%. I found myself generally guessing that things are worse than they are. This really opened my eyes to progress in the world- a lot of the questions were about how things have been going since a specific year. I think a lot of global news coverage can feel really negative, so it was nice to see the positive side of things.

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

I was pretty scattered on the site, at least briefly looking at all of the most popular topics. I was especially intrigued by the homes- it was really cool to see what different homes looked like around the world. Even in countries that I thought would have looked really different, I saw apartments and homes that could have been in America.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

I was really surprised by the economic diversity in countries that I might have thought of as developing. Even in these countries, there were wealthy families living in apartments and homes that wealthy people in America also live in. I think this surprise is really due to the way that certain news is written/presented in wealthier european/american countries- with a sort of white savior attitude that portrays most other countries as poor and suffering.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think that certain countries were very not-diverse economically, but now I see that there are really wealthy and really poor people everywhere.

Rohan Rao

2022-10-04 16:44:18 UTC

1. How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I didn't do the best on the Gapminder test, I got a 33%. I was very surprisedly the fact that less than 6% of plastic waste ends up in the ocean. Considering all of the destruction and waste humans put into the ocean, I thought that percentage would be much higher.

2. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

First, I clicked on a random country and read their article, then scrolled onto a couple other countries to compare. I was drawn to particular country profiles due to my expectation of thinking that the country would have a much higher/lower family income.

3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

I noticed that most of the lower income families were based in Africa and Southern Asia while the higher income families were mostly based in first-world countries. It also seemed that (for the most part) the higher-income families had less children which I thought was quite odd.

4. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I use to think that I had enough knowledge over problems and estimated incomes from around the world but now I know the general premises of family incomes around the world as well as filling gaps in my knowledge about real-world problems.

Peyton Hunter

2022-10-04 19:52:02 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I got a 29% on the gapminder test. I was surprised that many of my answers were wrong because I thought the Earth was doing much worse than it actually was!

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

The first profile I looked at was a medium income family living in Ukraine. I think I was immediately drawn to this because I was interested to see how people in Ukraine with a similar lifestyle to me were living before the war.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

One observation I made was that even in normally lower income countries, there is still a stark difference between low and high income families.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know….

I used to think that poverty would be reflected relatively similarly across the world, but now I know that this is not true, as poverty is presented in many different ways across the countries and even within countries.

Ezra Levinson

2022-10-04 20:38:53 UTC

I got a 50% on the Gapminder test. I had taken it last year for a different class, so I was surprised that I still did so poorly even with past experience. I guess some of these misconceptions are really pervasive!

I find the Dollar Street site really interesting. I like to just scroll and see what living with different incomes is like in different places. I mostly clicked on things I was surprised by – extremely poor living conditions, families with many children, very high or low incomes, et cetera.

One trend I noticed was that money seems to go much farther in some countries than it does in others. I saw some incomes that would be difficult to survive on in the US, but based on the photos there were families who were doing fine with that amount of money. Of course, there were also cases where what seemed like large amounts of money didn't translate to good living conditions.

I used to think that income translated directly to living conditions, but now I know that there are many other factors at play, such as location, infrastructure, etc.

Divya Venkat

2022-10-11 04:42:22 UTC

1. How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
I got a 17% on the gapminder test. I was surprised because for certain world problems such as plastic in the ocean for example, I over-estimated the issue and it was really eye-opening to know that problems and statements we are told aren't as they necessarily seem, I definitely over estimated the prevalence of other world statistics such as ones on poverty as well.
2. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
I was pretty drawn to a lot of profiles, I honestly just started randomly and then I tried to click on ones of different ranges of income from lowest to highest, as well as different nations that interested me and ones that I had certain expectations for on income. I tried to later look at incomes of countries in Asia, as it said in the gapminder test this continent had the most population, so I wanted to see how that effected income ranges.
3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
I noticed that for certain nations, there is a huge range of income. An example is France, which had approx. 1k-7k income, and India- I saw one family with an income of $31, and another with around 6k- I connected the bigger range in income with possibly higher population? Also, another trend I noticed for families(as evidence, one $40/month family in Haiti, 1 thousand/month income in india, $604/month income in US), a lot of their dreams involved a house, wether its to improve one, have a better one, or even just have one.

4. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think that I had a good amount of knowledge on the prevalence of world issues, but especially after the gap-minder test, I now know that they are different than I thought they were, and less of an issue statistically. I also used to think I had a good knowledge about life of people around the world, but I now know there is so much to learn from people of different incomes and nations.

Raymond Cao

2022-11-04 10:06:13 UTC

I got a 22% on the test. I was surprised about the fact that the rich was less happy. Because I was always thinking that the lower-income would feel less satisfied with their environment.

When looking at the Dollar Street website, I looked into the income from lowest to highest. To me, what I was drawn to was the difference of the same item in different profiles. This really showed how the income would make a difference.

I noticed that most of the profiles that have high income were in developed countries, and usually with people who were educated and vice versa.

I used to think that rich people were happier due to their material wealth, but now I know that the ones that are really satisfied with their need are those having a low income.

Catherine Martz

2023-09-27 00:07:10 UTC

1. I got a 22%, I was very surprised by the answers to some of the questions. Many of the questions I got incorrect because I overestimated and thought the problem was a lot worse than they are/ or was. I don’t think I realized that a lot of global issues are improving.

2. On the Dollar Street site, I looked at the different profiles with the highest and lowest incomes. I was drawn to the families that live off very small incomes because I am astounded by how they can provide food, clothing, and other necessities especially when their families are so large.

3. I noticed that most of the higher-income households were in developed countries in Europe (UK, Ukraine), and had smaller families. Most of the lower-income families were in developing countries and also had more people to support.

4. I used to think that the percentage of the world’s population that doesn’t have enough food was a lot higher, but now I know it is only 11%.

Sharlenn Meixeiro

2023-09-29 04:10:47 UTC

1. How did you do on the gap minder test? What surprised you?
I got a 69% on the gap minder test which I don't think is too bad. I was very surprised on how many I got wrong to be honest. It really showed me how much information I still don't know and have biases towards.

2. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
The economic diversities in a lot of countries surprised me. I clicked on Africa and Southern Asian countries which were lowered income families were stationed. Then I looked at first world countries which seemed to be higher-income. I looked at the average financial state of families in lower income compared to the higher income. With this I came to the conclusion that even if some countries don't have as much money as others, they make do.

3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
I was drawn to multiple profiles since they all seemed very interesting. I noticed more of the poorer families where all people of color and most of the rich families were white. This made me think about the racism and discrimination that people have had in the past that have become building blocks for the income of different families. The inequalities prevalent in the families got me to the realization that everyone is living completely different lives that most people wouldn't have imagined. For example, clean water, number of rooms, and/or proper sewage. No matter the diversity in finance, each region/country was different whether they be generally richer or poorer.

4. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think...but now I know...
I used to think that the world was progressing gradually where people had more access to clean water and better living conditions but now I know that the world has progressed more than I had originally thought. I now know that I know a bit of what the world is actually going through. I don't really look at news or anything like that, which I probably should, so my knowledge of the world is limited. This activity has led me to want to know more and watch the news and educate myself about the world we live in.

Lilly Hinneh

2023-09-29 15:44:08 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
1. I got a 33% on the gap minders test, which I think was pretty low. I was extremely surprised by how things are improving in the world. Obviously, we as a global community have miles to go but many of the questions I got wrong was because I thought there was little progress made with things like poverty rates and food insecurity.
On the Dollar street site, think about how you navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
1. I was initially drawn to the families with different living conditions from my own because I was interested in the difference. I was also drawn to the different African countries and noticed that there was a range in economic situations, which I appreciate because the western world tends to view Africa as a whole as poor and poverty-stricken. However, based on the African profiles, there was a wide range of monthly incomes from $39 to $3,755.
What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
1. Despite the economic diversity within each continent, I noticed that the highest and lowest monthly income of some continents like Europe was higher than continents like Asia or Africa.
Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..
1. I used to think that there wasn't much progress being made in low income countries in terms of poverty rates, food/water insecurity, internet access, education, etc., but now I know that there has been tremendous progress made over the past couple of decades and that change doesn't happen that quick. We as a society tend to overestimate how bad a situation is because we don't want to be seen as insensitive, but in reality, things have changed and gotten better.

Anna Tippner

2023-09-30 01:15:02 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
1. When taking the gapminder test, I got a 22%. I was not really surprised with the score that I got because on many of the questions I mostly overestimated the percentages - many of them were those that had improved, and I just hadn't realized by how much.

On the Dollar Street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
1. The first profile I clicked was an Indian family that lived on $30 a month. I was astounded to learn an entire family can survive off of that, especially one of 6. From there, I continued to click on profiles on the extreme ends of the spectrum. I was curious to see how different families lived based on how much they had to live on per month.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
1. Something I noticed was just how different the monthly incomes were for families from the same country. For example, one family of 6 in India lives on $30/month, while another lives on $6,000 dollars for 2. A trend I see, throughout all of the profiles is that the families that make more money tend to have smaller families, while those with less money tend to have more individuals to provide for.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..
1. I used to think that I was aware of the challenges and reasons why poorer families lived the way they did. After going through the profiles, I understand that is not the case. It is not just that they make little money, but rather they may have limited access to resources or large communities, restricting how they are able to live their lives. These stories have made me aware of just how little I know about the stories of foreign countries and the people living in them.

Arjuna Pandey

2023-09-30 02:03:22 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
1. I got a 50% on the gap minder test, which was quite surprising for me. I had different perceptions for most of the answers and was very surprised upon learning the right answer. I wasn't aware of the small percentages of poverty and how much access the world has to electricity. I realized after taking the test that I had many misconceptions about the current world state.
On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
1. At first, I clicked on the families with under $50 a month to learn more about their family. I wanted to know more about their status relative to their countries and about their standard of living. I then clicked on profiles which had monthly earning of $5,000+. I was able to learn more about their lives, which are definitely very privileged. I was then able to compare and contrast their lives and situations and related this to a global health scale. Each family has different access to healthcare and they have many social, political, and economic factors which play a role in their health. Socioeconomic status plays a huge role in healthcare.
What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
1. As I previously emphasized above, the individual socioeconomic statuses of the families plays a huge role in their lifestyle. It determines their access to education, food, water, healthcare, lifestyle, etc. I noticed in higher earners, they were more healthy and had access to better quality resources, and I'm inferring better healthcare as well. Those who earned relatively lower also weren't it very well living conditions, which makes me question what type of healthcare they have access too.
Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..
1. I used to think that there is still a significant percentage of the world who doesn't have access too electricity, education, food, water, and healthcare, but now I know that even in developing nations or in families who don't earn a lot per month, that they have access to different types of resources depending on their financial situation, relating to a global health aspect of the many factors of the social, political, economic, and national aspects and determinants of healthcare, disease, and global health.

Steven Mao

2023-09-30 03:45:53 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
1. I got 54% on the gapminder test. For the first couple of questions, I noticed I was underestimating how much conditions for families around the world have been improving! I was misled by my preconceptions of the past, and it is clear that I have my biases. After noticing that things weren't as bad as I thought, I began thinking more positively before answering the rest of the questions, which brought my score up. However, if the questions hadn't shown me the correct answer right away, I would've gotten a lot lower score.
On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
1. The first thing that caught my attention was the profiles with poor living conditions. I clicked on a Kenyan family profile first, who lived off $39/month, which was shocking to me! I was curious to see the living conditions of those on extreme ends of the spectrum, particularly the poor side because it differs drastically from what I see on a day-to-day basis.
What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
1. The first thing I looked for was the economic disparity between Whites and people of color, and the data confirmed my pre-existing belief that colored people typically have poorer economic conditions. It can be argued that racism and discrimination perpetuated this situation and have acted as the invisible barrier that prevents many from becoming prosperous. Another observation I made was how much just a couple hundred dollars per month can go for a poor family. It could mean having a roof over their heads, easier access to food and water, and better hygiene! In contrast to the observations I made about socioeconomic status, I noticed some interesting things when comparing different countries. For families with under $100, a large majority of them have somewhat similar conditions after looking at the pictures. However, I saw that ONE Kenyan man who lived on $179/month lived completely differently from a Colombian FAMILY of 5 living with $232/month (that's just a $53 increase)! The man had trash all over his floor, and his shelter was made of scrap and tree branches, while the Colombian family had a small, but nice house with a TV and makeup!
Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know….
1. I used to think that the world wasn't progressing that much in terms of supporting low-income countries, but now I know that there have been great strides made in this field, way more than I originally thought. However, looking at the profiles again still is an eye opener into what poor living conditions are still like for millions of people in the world.

Onah Nwapa

2023-09-30 04:46:13 UTC

1. How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
I got a 22%. I was also very surprised by some of the answers like my other classmates. Some of the answers suprised me like the global life expectancy question. I didn't know the world's life expectancy was up to 70 years. I thought it was a little bit lower. I think for this quiz, I tended to overestimate and thought our world 's health was declining.

2. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
The first family I chose was the family from Kenya. I was astounded to see that they lived on $39 a month. That is not even up to $500 a year! After seeing this, I clicked on tabs for this family such as the home and kitchen sections and these living conditions were much harsher compared to other families, such as the Ukraine family. I also clicked on the Nigerian family because my heritage is Nigerian and I wanted to see the living conditions there. It was interesting to see how the living conditions compared to living conditions in the US.

3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
One of the first trends I noticed was that the families living off a low income, tended to be from African, Asian, and Caribbean countries. According to World Population Review, third-world countries in 2023 including Niger, Mali, Haiti, Pakistan, and etc. All of these countries are in either Africa, the Caribbean, or Asia and most likely have low life expectancy, with high rates of poverty and disease. These factor definitely play a role in the monthly salary. Families with higher salaries tended to lived in Europe and were predominantly white.

4. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..
I used to think that the overall global health was slowly declining, but now I know, using the gapminder test, that global health is in fact moving in a positive direction regarding life expectancy, vaccines, mortality rates in diseases, and etc. With this knowledge, we can improve the overall health of the world.

Kate Parker

2023-09-30 04:46:21 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I got four questions right out of the eighteen questions in total. Personally, I was shocked by the disparity in the amount of housework done by women as opposed to men. Additionally, I am still processing how the amount of existing ‘low-income’ countries have decreased, yet the wealth inequality within our globe is increasing. I didn’t realize how many misconceptions I have been believing about our world.

2. On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

The first thing I noticed was the extreme income gaps between families. Some families receive $10,000 per month, while others receive only $39 per month. This absolutely shocking disparity forced me to self-reflect upon my own privilege. For the rest of the time I spent on the site, I researched the different ways of life, occupations, and access to resources these families possessed. I found myself drawn to the families with the most drastically different incomes, as I wanted to discover what caused these differences. 3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

One observation I made was how the increase in our consumption of raw materials seems to correlate to an increase in greenhouse gases in our environment. Learning that halving our CO2 emissions would not stop the increase in our global temperature seemed to be connected to the continual destruction of natural resources. Additionally, I observed that in the families with the lower monthly income, they often had trouble gaining access to basic necessities, such as food, water, education, and healthcare. One family in Myanmar, for example, has trouble gaining access to clean water because their city does not have a water source.

4.
Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think that everybody had access to apply for a job or get an education in order to earn money, but now I know that some families who are out of a job possibly did not have access to education, do not have the ability to work, or do not have available jobs in their area.

Ari Spiegel

2023-09-30 20:27:02 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
- I got a 6/13. My score itself didn’t surprise me but the answers to some of the questions did. I didn’t expect the proportion of people living in extreme poverty to have halved in the past 20 years especially with the increase in natural disasters due to climate change, along with many people losing their jobs due to COVID 19. Something else that surprised me was how low- income countries increased the population of girls going to school. This inequality of education was a big topic a couple years ago but (at least in the United States) news stations and the general public don’t highlight the improvements and problem solving of specific issues. It’s usually just moving from one topic/problem to another.
On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
- I was mostly drawn to profiles that were on the highest and lowest ends of monthly income compared to the rest of the families as I wanted to compare the families on both ends of the spectrum on the website. The first family I clicked on was the family from Brundi making $29 a month which is less than $350 a year. The second family I clicked on was the Ukranian family making approximately $10,000 a month which is more than the average estimated monthly income in the United States.
What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
- Despite the economic diversity categorizing the families into their specific continents, Africa was home to a majority of families with the lowest monthly incomes out of the families on the website. There were families in Africa, Asia, and South America had a monthly income of below $200/month while NO European Families had a monthly income in that range. European Countries were home to majority of families of the highest monthly incomes out of the families on the website with an estimated income of more than $1500/month.
Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..
- I used to think the world wasn’t developing as it as actually specifically when it came to education equality in low income countries, global vaccination rates, helping endangered species, and the proportion of people living in poverty. But now because of the Gapminder test I know now that global developments especially in healthcare and systemic/systematic issues improve slowly with time and therefore these improvements don’t gather as much media attention, so news stations to not cover and share these stories with the general public. For example with the Gapminder question on endangered species even with small necessary improvements the media isn’t going to focus on that unless there has been an overwhelming dramatic change than the population of these animals before.

Annie Lelos

2023-10-02 17:00:06 UTC

1. How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
- I got a 7/13. I am not completely shocked by my score although did believe it would be lower after reading some of my classmate's posts. Some of my answers reflected my low knowledge of the advances our world has accomplished in the last 50ish years. More younger-aged girls are completing school, poverty has decreased by almost half, and none of the three species listed have become more critically endangered. Looking at it from this perspective, our world is improving. Some of my answers showed I believed world health was declining when in most cases this is not true.

2. On the Dollar Street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
- The first profile I clicked was for Ukraine. I think I was very intrigued by the significant difference in incomes compared to the other families on my screen. I have also been very involved in Ukraine through my personal life by creating and organizing humanitarian aid goods drives throughout my town, so I felt particularly drawn to them due to that personal connection. I then clicked on the Haiti profile due to the large difference between them and the Ukraine family I had just looked at. Their living conditions were truly fascinating when comparing them to others on the page. My family has also traveled to Haiti before so that made me particularly interested in clicking on their profile.

3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
- I first noticed how a majority of the lowest-income families were from Africa. It was shocking to compare them to families in Europe, as the families in Europe had much larger incomes. Africa had families as low as 30 dollars and Europe's lowest family was in the 200s. It is also much harder to live in some of these places with a lower income than others. It would be more attainable to survive on a low income in a smaller/poorer country than a large/wealthy city. This still does not justify or make it okay for any of these families to live in extreme poverty like some are.

4. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..
- I used to think I had a better understanding of economic and political issues around the world, but I now understand that each case in each country is extremely different, and economic and political trends change as our world progresses.

Nikhil

2023-10-04 00:00:42 UTC

1) I earned a 62%, and I was relatively caught off guard by how the correct answers were all the highest and best statistics. Underestimating the world by far, I found myself selecting the answers that had less favorable statistics, when in reality, I was only assuming the world was worse off than it actually is
2) I picked the very first one from the selection since it caught my attention being on top. Upon opening that one and a few others, I was simply blown away by how different these people's lives are from not only my own own, but with each other at all, since each has their own set of experiences and opportunities that I realize now after being able to compare
3) In general, the few observations that I made seemed to revolve around physical qualities, ie. the majority of those represented as being impoverished are people living in developing nations with limited access to resources, while those who are more well off are living in developed and stable nations.
4) I used to think that sheer willpower used to determine the quality of life, as in if you work hard enough, you will be able to find yourself in a secure, safe position. Now, I see that the quality of your life is more often than not determined by the physical things in your life, as in where and when you were born

Gapminder answers - Noel

2023-11-16 03:53:15 UTC

I got 10/13. I found in general that most of the questions I assumed the worst result actually had major improvement. I feel that much of what I thought of these answers might have been shaped by a highly sensationalized and often doom-casting media.
I first clicked on the families with the highest, and lowest shown monthly incomes so that I could see just how big a difference there was in living conditions, daily activities etc. The property and objects owned were drastically different. But I thought it was interesting that both of these families valued pictures of loved ones more than anything else
The two main things many families I clicked on valued were either family photos or items connected to a child, or various technologies. I thought it was interesting that the families with the highest and lowest monthly incomes both valued the same thing (family pictures)
I used to think that the world made no progress on many pressing issues, but now I know that there have been some incredible developments. Not to say that they've been solved or even close to solved but millions of people now have a quality of life that would’ve been near impossible a few decades ago.

Aisha Khan

2024-09-21 09:00:41 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
- I got 9/13 questions correct. It was extremely surprising on how negatively I viewed the world and the progress society has made, not really acknowledging how much improvement has taken place in different aspects. I found myself assuming that the world was worse off than it actually is.
On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
- The first think I looked at on the Dollar Street Site was the family with the lowest monthly income and the family with the highest monthly income. I wanted to compare the lifestyles of the two and was dumbfounded by just how different they live from each other- and from how I live. I did find it interesting how both families most prized possessions were not necessarily expensive, but they had sentimental value
What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
- I noticed that majority of the low-income / impoverished families were residing in Africa, while the higher-income families were in Europe. I also noticed how the "future plans" differed from people in lower-income families than those in higher income families. People who made less money a month dreamed of things that the people living in high-income families had lying around their house, while the people in high-income households dreamed to take lavish vacations or own second properties.
Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..
- I used to think I was well educated on social, economic, and political issues around the world but after taking the gap minder quiz and navigating through the dollar street website, I now know that we have progressed a lot in many different aspects across the world, but there are still major wealth discrepancies that need to be addressed.

Anya Patel

apatel2612_1 — 2024-09-22 07:16:08 UTC

1. How did you do on the Gapminder test? What surprised you?

I earned a 6/13, or 46% on the Gapminder test. I am not shocked by my score, and actually thought it would be lower as I had previously read some of my classmate’s scores. I was surprised that most of the scores I answered incorrectly were the ones about the progression/regression of health in the last couple of decades. Specifically, I was shocked by the graph of poverty decreasing by more than half, as homelessness is still so prevalent in Los Angeles.

2. On the Dollar Street site, think about how you navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

On the Dollar Street site, I first clicked on Kenya’s profile. I clicked on Kenya first because I was shocked at the subheading of the average family surviving being $47/month, which is less than $600 a year. I also clicked on this profile as Kenya was the subject of my country profile, where I learned a lot about the relevant diseases in the area, and I wanted to learn more about the culture. Within the Kenya profile, I was immediately drawn to the cosmetics section, which showed a bottle and label of Mami’s Tip Top Milking Jelly, a moisturizer that isn’t appearance-altering . I am personally interested in cosmetics and beauty standards, so I found myself clicking around the website with the aim to compare and contrast different cosmetic routines, juxtaposing Kenya with India, where there are a variety of different products with pigment.

3. What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

I observed European countries possess the highest monthly income than the rest of the world, with the exception of some United States families. Notingly, I also noticed that European families consisted of very few members compared to African families that housed two or three times more individuals, while working with a significantly smaller monthly income. I also noticed that lower-income families mostly share a struggle for basic necessities, like food, water, education, and healthcare, as well as possessing the same most critical possessions for survival.

4. Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to believe that all individuals and families have access to seemingly mundane items of those in the United States, like a comb and cooking supplies, but now I know that a large portion of international families are without the objects I would consider basic necessities, so instead they create their own inventions and systems.

Kayley McCutcheon

2024-09-23 23:07:55 UTC

1 How did you do on the gapminder quiz?

i got a 5/13, which is very embarrassing. I was surprised honestly because I kept choosing the most extremely bad option, and sometimes it was a more positive outcome. This made me even more skeptical though, because I couldn't believe multiple good things happened one answer after the other.
On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
- First, I clicked at homes in the world to see where people went back to everyday, and to see the differences depending on cost. I was drawn to this section because i felt it would allow me to make the best global comparisons.
What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
- i noticed that in haiti, a country in the middle of violence, homes are more expensive for the same quality. This trend was also seen in countries that struggle with violence and a lack of peace.
Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here -
I used to think the world was stuck, and we dug ourselves into a put of global economic distress, climate change, etc. but now I know change is possible. Our world may still be struggling in many ways, but there's hope; there are advancements every day.

Bissum Singh

2024-09-24 02:06:24 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I got a 9/13. I was surprised with my score, thinking that I could've done better. I was surprised to notice that I noticed a pattern of extreme improvement in many of the categories which I wasn't expecting but was pleasantly surprised by.

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles

I first was drawn to click on Burundi. I was intrigued by the contrasts I could draw between their country and ours. This family takes 40 minutes to collect water, while my family's sink pours clean water with the flip of a switch.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

I think it was interesting how the price varied by country. You could have an equal amount of money in two different countries and be offered two completely different level of houses. A lot of the poorest households financially, were located in previously colonized areas. It is sad that countries came in and depleted countries of their natural resources, leaving them to recover alone. Majority of the low income families dreamed of basics such as the home of Pierro wishing to buy a car.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think that I had a pretty good understanding of global statistics, but now I know that I need to keep up with the global news and make sure to keep myself educated about current events.

2024-09-24 23:42:36 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
-I got a 5/13 on the gap minder test, which is pretty bad. The variation of questions sort of surprised me, it ranged from the education of men and women to the endangered species of two animals. Another thing that surprised me was the amount of babies getting vaccines, and the amount of people in poverty being halved, which means there is great improvement in the world. This positive outcome was similar in each question, meaning we are further improving as a society globally. Whether that being people with an education, people with electricity, or having basic needs and a higher life expectancy.
On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?
- I was clicked on the first profile, being Kenya and noticed that this site gave all kinds of ranging information. Meaning that each family had to perform what most would consider a mundane task, like drinking water, washing clothes or hands, and socializing. As well as sharing personal items like toys, makeup, utensils, etc. This showed how each family varies, as well as the variation of items and customs per country which fascinated me. Specifically, I was drawn to the difference in how each family lives, even if they are in the same country, the housing and lifestyles can be so contrasting. For example, the items being cooked and how a family cooks them.
What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
-I saw a trend of the more money one family earned, the better living conditions they had. Although that sounds obvious, each country was different in those standards, as is currency. I also noticed that some families in the same country had similar incomes, like one family from Kenya earned $47/month and the other $45/month. But, other families in the same countries had very different incomes like a columbian family who earned $2,380/month and another that earned $232/month.
Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..
-I used to think that the world as a community was declining in poverty, health, and equality. Now I know that we are slowly climbing up and improving in things like the education of men and women, the health of not only newborns but an increase in life expectancy. Also, not only the improvement for people, but endangered species being looked out for as well.

Travis Chang

tracha25 — 2024-09-25 05:55:40 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I got a 8/13 on the test. I was completely surprised by my score because I did not think I would get more than half correct. What's more surprising to me is the fact that the number of children in this world will stay relatively the same. I actually thought our population will continue to grow until 10 billion before Earth reaches its carrying capacity. I also didn't expect so many of the questions to be about positive developments. I thought this test was to show the test takers just how much worse the world has become.

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

At first, I didn't even scroll down and clicked on the one about Ukraine. I specifically chose the one with $10,090/month. I didn't know what the number meant until I clicked into it. After realizing what it meant, I scrolled down a little bit and clicked on Haiti, $39/month. I was mostly drawn by the living cost per month for this family being just $39. I was drawn to this just because of the low spending this family does.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

Some very obvious observations are that lower the income, the lower the standard of living. I also realized that MOST (definitely not all) of the more well-off families are located in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. While the families that have lower standards of living are MOSTLY (not all) located in Africa.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think the world was getting worse in terms of education, equality, etc. but now I know (after taking the Gapminder test) that the world has improved a lot since.

I also used to think it is almost impossible to live with low-income on top of having a big family, but the numerous families featured on Dollar Street has proven me completely wrong.

Izzy Klugman--Reflection Questions

izzyklugman1_1 — 2024-09-25 07:16:58 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I got a 9/13 which is lower than I was expecting as I thought my knowledge of the world would be pretty high considering I am a pretty well educated person. What surprised me was actually how much improvement the world has experienced in terms of health/infrastructure/access to food. I tend to be stuck in a narrative that conditions around the world are worsening when in reality they have greatly improved in the last century. I think that the media portrays the world in a more negative view to draw viewership and attention to the issues because seeing big glaring headlines of bad things happening grabs attention more than positive events occuring. I think that, although these widespread improvements have been made across the world, there is still so much to be done to ensure sufficient access to food/healthcare/education/technology is provided across countries.
On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

When i went on the Dollar Street site, the first icon I clicked on was a family living in Haiti that made about 39 dollars a month. I was drawn to this particular profile, I think, because they seemed to have a lifestyle that contrasted greatly to my own and because of my lack of understanding of how people live across the world, I was curious to see the reality that these people live in. I then clicked on families with similar levels of income across different countries to see if people across countries lived in a similar fashion across the same income.
What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

Some observations i made when looking at the data on Dollar Street was that the higher the income became, the more the houses became a set solid structure with plumbing and electricity. I also noted that in certain countries that are considered "richer", like Ukraine, France, and Romania, there was a much higher level of income across the families listed while in lower income countries like Haiti, Phillipines, Kenya, the highest average income wasn't even close to the lowest average income of a country like France. It was interesting to me the difference in lifestyles between these countries. Despite having the highest income of all the families in Haiti, for example, the family still lived in a temporary structure with an impermanent toilet, and very little personal belongings. In a country like France or the United States, these living conditions would be considered extremely dire. In countries like Haiti, Phillipines, Kenya, Burundi there is a pretty similar level of income across families. I am not completely sure whether this pattern I am seeing is consistent across the continent, but I did also notice that in some Asian countries like China and India, there was a massive range of incomes and thus ways of life. Some lived in huts and tents while others in permanent multibedroom homes with plumbing and a car.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here -
I used to think that the global access to healthcare/food/education/other infrastructure was still extremely low but now I know that in the past century, major worldwide improvements have been made so that people across the world have access to basic necessities like energy/food/water/education.

2024-09-25 20:15:57 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?
I got a 7/13 which wasn't too bad. Most of the misconceptions they were testing for was based on a persons perspective of the world, for example I thought the poverty levels in the world were a lot greater than they really are. I knew that east and south Asia held the most amount of people in the world, but I thought Africa would atleast have 2 billion.
On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

I started at the first image and just went left to right looking. After a while it became clear the comparisons of extremely low income to higher income would greaten going down the page. After awhile of scrolling I searched for the extreme minimum and extreme maximum.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.
The people with very low income typically had smaller families, which it was evident they used the money for food, while people with higher incomes had larger families or they had luxuries like nicer houses. Some people with middle income had larger families, but similar housing to lower income.
Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think that world hunger, poverty and education were still a huge issue but they are actually improving. In different places in the world there are these different conditions, but they aren't horrible. That is not to say these still aren't problems, but they have greatly lessened from past years.

Gia Aggarwala

2024-09-26 16:48:26 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I did pretty bad on the gapminder test, I got a 6/13. I selected the bad outcome answers mostly and I was surprised to see that things are improving. Initially I thought this test would’ve been to show the negative progressions but it was the opposite. That really interested me and make me happy.

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

I was mostly drawn to lower income profiles. I saw one about a family from Haiti earning $39 a month. These less fortunate profiles really broke my heart, it made me sad but also interested on how they live their lives . They make the best out of what they have, never taking anything for granted.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

They all have dreams. No matter how low or high earning they are, they all have dreams to improve and move forward. It's very interesting to see the variety of dreams compared to their earnings and their daily life. I also noticed the lack of variety for salary in Africa, in other continents and countries they had a large variety. Ranging from $200 dollars to $10,000 dollars, while the profiles I saw mostly from Africa ranged from $30 to a few hundred dollars.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think that the world was stuck in a horrible condition, with a lack of education, electricity, clean water, and food, but now I know that most of all the world can access those things.

2024-09-26 19:46:54 UTC

Vienne Brossard

Gapminder test and surprising things:
I got a 9/13 on my test, and this did surprise me because I saw classmates scores, and notices they did either the same or worse. I was sure that I would get a 6 or below. Something that surprised me was that many of the questions were about improvement, and at the start, I was pessimistic and chose the answer with the least improvement. By the end, I realized that a common trend through the questions was that the answer with the most improvement was correct. This was completely against what I first believed, and its exciting to see some of our problems starting to be resolved.
What caught my attention on the dollar street site:
When navigating the Dollar Street site, I first clicked on profiles with many kids, as I wanted to know how life was like for the parents who had to support themselves and their large family on a tight budget. My first family was on in India, and they only earned 30$ a month. The family had 4 kids, and lived in their own shelter made out of sticks. This was a bit of a shock for me, but I think its good to see other sides of the world, and see the best and worse parts of their lives.]
Observations and trends from looking at the data:
Some trends I saw were that the families that earned less than 50 dollars usually did not live in a house, or have four walls and a door. Although families who earned more than 50 had a little more, few families had plumbing or power. Only the few families that made a considerable amount more than the rest, such as 3 thousand or 10 thousand, had a nicer house with plumbing, water, and power. Other trends that I noticed were that many families had more than 3 kids, which might be to help with work and to help provide for the family. A final trend I noticed was that most low income families were in Africa or Asia.
Finish the sentence:
I used to think that the problems such as poverty were getting worse around the world, but after going through Gapminder and the families, I think that there are lots of programs that are committed to improving lives around the world and stopping extreme poverty. The world is actually getting more equal, rather than worsening, and this is a very nice suprise for me!

Karan Kad

2024-09-26 19:56:24 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?- I got a 4/13 (31%) on the gapminder test. A lot of those questions were very surprising. I was surprised that only 60% of girls in poor countries receive an education. I was also surprised by the fact that a lot of statistics show trends in a good direction. Some areas I didn’t expect to be improving over time.

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?- I clicked on Burkina Faso first. I was drawn to this profile since I saw a large family with little kids and it only said 45$/month. This family in Burkina Faso has 4 children, yet lives in a one-bedroom hut.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see. One observation I made is how the size of the families differed depending on status and income. I was surprised when I noticed that a lot of low-income families had larger families compared to higher-earning families. I also noticed a direct correlation between higher-income families and the typical economic status of the country they are from. A lot of low-income families were from Africa.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think that I understood how families functioned in different regions and economic statuses, but now I know that there are many factors such as family size, location, resources, and more factors that contribute to many households all over the world.

Audrey Tsai

2024-09-27 05:17:23 UTC

How did you do on the gapminder test? What surprised you?

I got a 9/13 on the gapminder test. Throughout the test, I was surprised to see lots of improvements around the world like less than half the number of deaths from 100 years ago. Initially, I was expecting the negative outcomes and answers to be correct, which I was happy to see was incorrect.

On the Dollar street site, think about how did navigated the data. What did you click on first? Why were you drawn to particular profiles?

I found the Dollar street site incredibly interesting. I was drawn to the families with low income. I think this is because it is very different from my life. Seeing other people's experience and what they go through was very fascinating. First, I looked at a family in Burundi with an income of $27/month, which I compared to a family in Sweden with an income of $3,384/month. One thing that shocked me when I was comparing the two families is the photos and videos they took. It was heartbreaking to see the family in Burundi washing their hands and dishes with dirty water.

What were some observations you made by looking at the data? These are not conclusions mind you (we are not doing an exhaustive comparative statistical analysis!) but just some things you noticed or trends you see.

I noticed that the lower income families were mainly hoping and dreaming for smaller items, while higher income families were wanting a lot more. For example, a family in Columbia with a monthly income of $6,740 is unhappy with their 2 bedroom apartment as a family of 2 adults; compared to a family in Haiti with a monthly income of $51 where they live in a 2 bedroom house as a family of 7.

Finish this sentence based on some things that you learned going through these exercises here - I used to think…...but now I know…..

I used to think a lot of the current issues we face today are worse than the past but now because of the Gapminder test, I realize that even though there are still incredibly large economic and social problems around the world, we have been able to slowly improve different issues like the number of endangered species.

Ethan Jin

2024-09-27 14:07:27 UTC

Gapminder Test:
I got 5/13 on the test. It was an enlightening affair. Surprising, actually, how much misconception I had about global development trends and the improvement of income and health across time.

Dollar Street Map:
The first thing I did upon accessing the site Dollar Street was click on the profiles of families of higher and lower incomes. Of course, those profiles that really caught my eye were those living on lower incomes, living their daily lives amidst sharp contrasts with households that were much more affluent.
Conclusions from the Data:
-Housing Conditions: I did notice severe contrasts where poorer families mostly lived in much smaller spaces with fewer amenities.
-Access to Basic Resources: Access to resources such as clean water and electricity was highly unequal and became more pronounced with decreasing income.
-Location: I noticed that countries might have provide the same exact services and housing but they had a severely different price based on where they were located. I did further research and noticed that a lot of the countries that were the poorest were countries that had been taken advantage of by other countries and had their natural resources forcefully taken from them.

Conclusion:
I used to think that living in poverty was all essentially the same, but now I know it is not, and it is drastically different according to geography, culture, and resource accessibility. This nuance is helpful in underlining the contextual importance when global development issues are being discussed.