Studies suggest we are more likely to accept new information when it confirms what we already want to believe. Learning how the study was done provides information that helps determine whether the science is sound and what to make of it. These survey results line up with this prevailing wisdom. Likewise, how the survey was conducted – whether it was a phone or online survey, for instance – can have significant impacts on its accuracy. This type of circular reporting without seeking out the original source can lead to the spread of misinformation. Last update: 10-16-2020. Poorly phrased or confusing questions abound in survey research and complicate the process of interpreting findings. Read the original article. We reached out to Lisa McComb, the senior vice president of communications for Dairy Management, Inc., about the survey. A bar of Milka Mondelez hazelnut milk chocolate. A bar of Milka Mondelez Alpenmilch milk chocolate. […] Right now, we’re conditioned to think that if you need food, you go to the store. Maple Smooth & Creamy . According to the survey, 7 percent of Americans think chocolate milk comes from brown cows while 48 percent were unaware of how it is made. If this is the case, they're not confused about where chocolate milk comes from, but about the difference between dairy cows and beef cows. A: It’s a piece of steak. It certainly does nothing to undermine the need for increased science education in the United States or suggests that a better understanding of our food production system wouldn't be beneficial to society. Questions about the original findings aside, there's reason to explore how the media covered the chocolate milk survey. The rapid spread of this story is likely related to the desire, unfortunately prominent among many liberals, to see and label other people as ignorant. A new survey found that seven percent of Americans believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows. Coffee Smooth & Creamy . Many palms hit many faces. There are a number of breeds of dairy cattle — Holstein, Jersey, Brown Swiss, Ayrshire, Guernsey and Milking Shorthorn to name a few — none of which produce chocolate milk. Millions Of Americans Think Chocolate Milk Comes From Brown Cows. Read More, Millions Of Americans Think Chocolate Milk Comes From Brown Cows, We still get kids who are surprised that a French fry comes from a potato, or that a pickle is a cucumber. This gives context to the 7 percent number. This is according to a survey commissioned by the Innovation Centre for US Dairy in 2017, which found that millions of American citizens are somehow under the impression that their beloved choccy milk is a product of brown cows. […] We still get kids who are surprised that a French fry comes from a potato, or that a pickle is a cucumber. Still, 7% of people – and remember, this survey talked to actual, grown-up adults – still … In a study by the Innovation Centre of US Dairy, it was found that seven per cent of Americans believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows. The takeaway of much of this reporting is that Americans are science illiterate as well as uninformed about how their food is produced. This article was originally published on The Conversation. This article was originally published at The Conversation. It's a real survey, though, which found that 7 percent of American adults surveyed think that chocolate milk comes from brown cows. It's been all over the news lately: a survey by the Innovation Center for U.S. Score: n/a with 1 ratings and reviews. Facebook; LinkedIn; Twitter “Of course not, chocolate milk is made from cocoa beans, some additives and white milk that a normal cow produced ” answered the teacher to five-year-old Peter. Q: Why did the farmer only raise brown cows? Grieving mother builds stairs to child’s grave so she can comfort her during storms, Girl survived beating with metal pole by 3 other girls, only to be thrown in a river to drown, President Trump abruptly wraps up COVID-19 briefing after telling a reporter to…, Turns Out Staying At Home Raising Kids Could Be More Exhausting Than Working, Trying To Suppress Sexual Thoughts Can Lead To An Increase In Such Thoughts, Study…, The Native Americans Celebrated Five Genders, Why Do People Cheat? However, the same teacher could be wrong in the near future. Um, guys, it comes from cows – and not just the brown kind. Chocolate milk is made when cocoa beans, grounded up and mixed with plenty of sugar and other additives, is mixed with normal whole white cow's milk. Researchers are trained to look for the original methods whenever they read a new study, especially if the results are surprising. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. We thank the egg for the chicken, And the chicken for the eggs, We thank the Lord for our daily bread. […]. Dairy suggests that 7 percent of American adults believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows. She confirmed that it's not publicly available. 1-16 of 96 results for "brown cow chocolate" Skip to main search results Eligible for Free Shipping. Plants and Animals. While it's conceivable that 7 percent of the population doesn't know that chocolate milk is just milk with chocolate, the idea that a full 55 percent — over half of adults — don't know or gave an incorrect response begins to strain credulity. Dairy suggests that 7 percent of American adults believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows. Incredible New Genetic Clues, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Without it, we can’t make informed decisions. Gillis van de Zande November 30th 2012 . Knowledge is power. Lauren Griffin, Director of External Research for frank, College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida and Troy Campbell, Assistant Professor of Marketing, University of Oregon. Research suggests that phone surveys may be less accurate than online surveys because they require people to give their responses out loud to another person instead of quietly clicking away in privacy. In other words, chocolate milk does not come from brown cows. Crème Brȗlée Dessert . Unfortunately, as news stories quickly pop up and go viral online, it's all too likely that we will continue to see such problems in the future. Nothing in our educational framework teaches kids where food comes from before that point. Of course, without seeing how the question was worded, we can't know whether the chocolate milk question had validity. Our research suggests that people who are often accused of being “anti-science” are not necessarily as unscientific as one might think. This was found in a survey conducted by the Innovation Center for U.S. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer, uninformed about how their food is produced, Americans lack understanding of many scientific concepts, story line of Americans as woefully ignorant of science, phone surveys may be less accurate than online surveys, there was brown cows, or black-and-white cows, or they didn't know, “anti-science” are not necessarily as unscientific, unfortunately prominent among many liberals, more likely to accept new information when it confirms, 'Magic mushrooms' grow in man's blood after injection with shroom tea, CIA releases entire collection of UFO-related documents to truth-seeking website, Mystery of massive, train-stopping millipede swarms solved, Stash of late medieval gold coins discovered on a farm in Hungary, The planet is dying faster than we thought, Orangutans and otters strike up darling friendship at Belgium zoo. Claim: Nearly one out of ten Americans think chocolate milk comes from 'brown cows.' So this survey did point out a lack of science understanding. It's been all over the news lately: a survey by the Innovation Center for U.S. A: Give a cow a pogo stick. Visit our corporate site. Fact: Actually, chocolate milk – or any flavored milk for that matter – is white cow’s milk with added flavoring and sweeteners. Q: Why does a milking stool have only 3 legs? By New York, Chocolate Chocolate on the Bottom . Putting these two percentages together shows that more than half of Americans do not know how chocolate milk is made. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, upvote downvote report Fun fact: 7% of American adults believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows. There are 493 chocolate brown cow for sale on Etsy, and they cost $25.43 on average. The Innovation Center, in turn, links to a story on Today.com, which linked right back to the Food & Wine article. The survey was conducted by the Innovation Center of … It’s time to set the record straight about some common misconceptions about chocolate milk. And 48 percent of … Seven percent of all American adults believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows, according to a nationally representative online survey commissioned by the Innovation Center of … 4.7 out of 5 stars 28. Cacao beans are seeds from cocoa trees. On their website, the U.S. We thank the pig (oink, oink) for the bacon on the grill. Requirements Objective Description. In other words, chocolate milk does not come from brown cows. Q: How do you make a milkshake? We thank the brown cow for the chocolate milk. An NPR interview with Jean Ragalie-Carr, president of the National Dairy Council, is the closest we can get to the actual wording of potential responses: “there was brown cows, or black-and-white cows, or they didn't know.” But as Glendora Meikle of the Columbia Journalism Review points out, we don't know if those were the only options presented to respondents. But is this what the survey is actually telling us? © Apr 29, 2010 – Brown Cow – We found conflicting versions of this drink. The most common chocolate brown cow material is cowhide. This points toward a confusing survey question. NIEDERSACHSEN, GERMANY SEPTEMBER 12, 2014: A bar of Milka Mondelez Alpenmilch milk chocolate with the purple. As a society, we are also urbanizing and fewer people work in agriculture, so it's unsurprising that many don't know how food is made. Well you're in luck, because here they come. Did you scroll all this way to get facts about chocolate brown cow? This factoid likely garnered such massive attention because it feeds into a popular narrative about American ignorance and science illiteracy. There was a problem. Stay up to date on the coronavirus outbreak by signing up to our newsletter today. Likewise, it's difficult to interpret the results of the chocolate milk question without seeing how it was worded. 93% of American adults think chocolate milk should come from white male cows. Adults today might remember a circa 1980s commercial from Brown Cow chocolate syrup demonstrating, yep, that cartoon brown cows are responsible for your sugary-sweet milk… Q: How easy is it to milk a cow? “The purpose of the survey was to gauge some interesting and fun facts about consumers' perceptions of dairy, not a scientific or academic study intended to be published,” she told us. A survey has found an astonishing number of Americans think that chocolate milk comes from brown cows. Cherry Vanilla Smooth & Creamy . According to The Sun, “despite nearly one-fifth of the American states having cattle populations that outstrip the human population and agriculture being one of the country’s biggest industries, Americans remain largely ignorant of where much of their food comes from.”. NY 10036. And if that percentage … Milk … Troy Campbell root beer with chocolate ice cream or coca cola with vanilla ice… 9. ... Bash and the Chocolate Milk Cows. Myth: Chocolate milk is not as nutritious as white milk. Without it, we can’t make informed decisions. The chocolate milk survey is described as a nationally representative survey of 1,000 American adults, but this is impossible to verify without seeing how respondents were selected. Chocolate, from the tropical cacao tree, is mixed along with sugar into the white milk cows produce to create chocolate milk. A: Because the cow has the udder. You guessed it: brown. A cow in the In the Abondance valley in the Haute-Savoie, France, 30 kilometres to the south of Lake Geneva and on the threshold of the Portes du Soleil. Filed Under: Camp Songs for Grace. Dairy shared: Does chocolate milk come from brown cows? Last week, a Washington Post headline provoked a collective groan of embarrassment: apparently “ seven percent of all American adults ” think that chocolate milk comes from brown cows.. Unsurprisingly, The Internet took notice. How now brown cow? Chocolate milk is simply regular milk that’s flavored with cocoa. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Plain Smooth & Creamy . Fourty-eight percent don't know where it comes from at all. Free Shipping by Amazon. Myth: Chocolate milk comes from brown cows. Chocolate milk is man-made. Likewise, this isn't necessarily evidence that the survey itself is flawed. Please refresh the page and try again. Media. … Accept The Truth About Milk Chocolate milk isn’t chocolaty because it comes from brown cows—just as strawberry milk isn’t obtained from pink cows, in case that also needed clarification. The most popular color? What is even more surprising is that a staggering 48% of people claimed that they were not sure where chocolate milk came from at all. It's unlikely the chocolate milk survey ran into such problems, but depending on the questions asked, other challenges may have presented themselves. But the fact remains that many reporters and news outlets decided to run the story without having seen the original results, instead citing one another's reporting. Blueberry Fruit on the Bottom . According to a recent survey, 7 percent of Americans believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows. But we realize we need accurate information to make the best choices for ourselves and our families about what we eat. To be fair, some milk questions and myths may make us smile. In and of itself, ignorance is not a problem. A survey from the Innovation Center for U.S. 30 June 2017. In this case, the chocolate milk statistic fits well with the notion that Americans are fools, so it's accepted and republished widely despite the numerous red flags that should give scientifically minded people pause. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. There are, of course, numerous far worse examples of public ignorance out there, including many about far more consequential issues. A: It’s a piece of steak. Even more worryingly, 7% of people said that they thought chocolate milk came from brown cows. Chocolate Pot De Crème Dessert . To us as researchers studying science communication and public understanding of science, factors in the survey itself and in the way the media report on it raise questions about how much to read into these findings. Brown Cow. Dairy found that 7% of American adults think chocolate milk comes from brown cows. This interpretation is intuitive: research has suggested that Americans lack understanding of many scientific concepts and the story line of Americans as woefully ignorant of science is perennial. According to The Washington Post, this equates to roughly 16.4 million adults — slightly more than the Pennsylvania population. In fact, the belief was so widespread that the Centre was prompted to write an entire piece debunking it, where, in answer to the question “ Does chocolate milk … A survey put together by the Innovation Center for US Dairy found that 7 percent of adults believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows! Jokes about American intelligence were plentiful. Apricot Mango Fruit on the Bottom . Advert. It’s either (or both!) This led to some interesting challenges when trying to fact-check the survey: The Washington Post links to Food & Wine's coverage, which linked to the Innovation Center's website, which originally publicized the survey results. This matters. Chocolate milk is a sweetened chocolate-flavored milk.It can be made by mixing chocolate syrup (or chocolate powder) with milk (from cows, goats, soy, rice, etc.). You will receive a verification email shortly. It is often rational and is an … Ironically, rather than showing Americans' ignorance of chocolate milk's origins, the fact that media coverage of this survey was reported so widely and with so few caveats instead showed that many people are not skeptical of the science they read. How Now Brown Cow - Coffee is a Stout - Sweet / Milk style beer brewed by Aslin Beer Company in Herndon, VA. According to The Sun, “despite nearly one-fifth of the American states having cattle populations that outstrip the human population and agriculture being one of the country’s biggest industries, Americans remain largely ignorant of where much of their food … Dairy. For instance, if respondents associate some color cows with dairy production and other color cows with beef production, it's easy to see how people could become confused. […] Knowledge is power. Social scientists call this a problem with validity: the question doesn't really measure what it's supposed to measure. 10. Indeed, early media coverage focused on the 7 percent statistic but left out the fact that 48 percent of respondents said they don't know where chocolate milk comes from. For instance, someone who holds racist views may feel comfortable checking a box about it but might avoid openly professing those opinions on the phone to a stranger. That works out at about 16.4m people. It can be purchased pre-mixed with milk or made at home by blending milk with cocoa powder and a sweetener (such as sugar or a sugar substitute), melted chocolate, chocolate syrup, or a pre-made powdered chocolate milk mix. No. Vanilla Smooth & Creamy . Brown cows make the same kind of milk as black and white Holstein cows and reddish Devon cows. Chocolate Milk. Chocolate milk gets its color and flavor from cacao beans. 99. Q: How easy is it to milk a cow? A recent 1,000-person survey conducted by the Innovation Center for U.S. Lauren Griffin, Chocolate milk is made from cow’s milk and flavouring or sweeteners. A: He loved chocolate milk! Dairy found that 7% of people think chocolate milk is produced solely by brown cows, Food and Wine reports. by Burton W. Cole and Buddy Lewis | May 1, 2015. The problem is that it's being reported on as though it is. At the end of the day, it’s an exposure issue. As McComb notes, the survey is not a scientific one and isn't meant to be taken as evidence of Americans' knowledge (or lack thereof) of dairy products. Container and brown cow sign. FREE Shipping. Paperback $10.99 $ 10. The results were instantly shared and republished by a mind-boggling number of outlets (a Google Trends search for “chocolate milk” and “brown cows” shows a spike beginning June 15th). Thank you for signing up to Live Science. ICYMI: Ouch!These are headlines editors probably wish they could take back All of these points are still valid. After farmers harvest the beans from cocoa trees, the cocoa beans are roasted, ground up and processed into a powder or syrup. Does Chocolate Milk Come From Brown Cows? Importantly, none of this disproves the notion that some adults believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows. By Lauren Griffin, Troy Campbell 30 June 2017 Americans are science illiterate as as... 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With validity: the question does n't really measure what it 's been all brown cow chocolate milk... Media covered the chocolate milk is made from cow ’ s milk and flavouring or.. Telling us n't know whether the science is part of Future us, Inc., about original. Buddy Lewis | May 1, 2015 is flawed cacao tree, brown cow chocolate milk along... It is often rational and is an … Apr 29, 2010 – cow. W. Cole and Buddy Lewis | May 1, 2015 the white milk produce!