The Polish are more “British” than the British according to new research. The research, conducted by Red Squirrel Publishing, tested over 15,000 Facebook users using a sample version of the Home Office's citizenship exam. The results show that Polish users gained the highest average score.

The research also found that of the 11,118 British people who sat the sample test only 1,585, or 14 per cent, achieved a pass score. Britain was only ranked sixth in Red Squirrel Publishing’s “Britishness” league table of nations behind Poland, Finland, Sweden, Germany and New Zealand.

Facebook users completed the sample citizenship test, which examines knowledge of British life, laws and institutions, via an application on the social networking site.

Henry Dillon, editor of Red Squirrel Publishing, which publishes a range of British citizenship test study guides, said the research provides further evidence of the challenging nature of the test.

“What these statistics show is that walking into the test without proper preparation is a recipe for failure - even British nationals struggle answering many of the questions,” Dillon said. “But these figures reflect people who haven’t studied for the test. Our research shows that with effective study a pass is achievable.  Eighty-nine per cent of people who prepared using Red Squirrel Publishing’s best-selling Life the UK Test: Study Guide passed their test on their first attempt.”

Users can participate in the research by visiting http://www.lifeintheuk.net/facebook

Passing the Home Office’s Life in the UK Test is a requirement for anyone wanting to apply for citizenship or settle permanently in the UK.

Over 437,000 applicants have taken the Home Office’s test since it was introduced in November 2005. As of October 2007, one out of three people failed the test.

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The Britishness league table
The average scores of the 15 countries that have had the most participants have been taken to form the Britishness league table. To provide an accurate sample, only users from the top 15 participating countries have been included in the league table.

Rank	Nation	Average score	Participants
1	Poland	15.20	49
2	Finland	15.14	169
3	Sweden	15.01	108
4	Germany	14.75	104
5	New Zealand	14.43	115
6	British	14.40	11,118
7	Spain	14.39	57
8	Denmark	14.08	66
9	Irish Republic	14.06	93
10	Italy	13.84	76
11	France	13.74	272
12	South Africa	13.68	97
13	Australia	13.67	283
14	Canada	13.16	528
15	United States of America	12.90	786

About the research
The research data was collected using an application built within social networking website, Facebook. Participants were asked 24 sample questions taken from Red Squirrel Publishing’s Life in the UK Test: Study Guide.

The application was launched on 1 November 2007. Facebook members from around the world were invited to participate. Within two weeks over 10,000 people had taken the online test.

Users can participate in the research by visiting http://www.lifeintheuk.net/facebook

Sample Questions
The questions used in this research have been sourced from the publication Life in the UK Test: Study Guide. The Home Office keeps the official questions secret, however reader feedback indicates that the questions from this publication are very similar to those used in the real test.

Some of the questions used in the research are provided below

1. How often are general elections held?
a. At least every year
b. At least every four years
c. At least every five years (correct answer)
d. At least every ten years

2. What does the government programme New Deal provide?
a. Funding and an advice service for small businesses
b. Healthcare and medicines for the sick and elderly
c. Accommodation and support for the homeless
d. Help and support for unemployed people to get back into work (correct answer)

3. What is the largest ethnic minority in Britain?
a. Black Caribbean descent
b. Pakistani descent
c. Bangladeshi descent
d. Indian descent (correct answer)

4. When is the national day for England?
a. 1 March
b. 17 March
c. 23 April (correct answer)
d. 30 November

5. Which of these statements is correct?
a. Only people on benefits are entitled to apply for council accommodation
b. Everyone is entitled to apply for council accommodation (correct answer)

To see all the questions or participate in the research, visit http://www.lifeintheuk.net/facebook

Other Data Sources
1. National pass rates from Home Office statistics obtained using the Freedom of Information Act
2. Red Squirrel Publishing pass rates based on customer satisfaction survey sent to all registered readers during May 2007. 1,334 respondents.