Just 21 percent of U.S. residents believe the next Bill Gates will come from their country, according to a new survey on Internet attitudes released Wednesday.About 27 percent of respondents said they believed the next wildly successful technology entrepreneur will come from China, and another 22 percent said Japan, according to the poll, conducted earlier this month by polling firm Zogby International and public-relations firm 463 Communications, both based in Washington, D.C.It’s not surprising that only a fifth of respondents chose the United States as the home of the founder of the next Microsoft, said Tom Galvin, a partner in 463. Most U.S. residents seem to understand that the country competes in a global economy, he said.“It doesn’t mean that the United States is slipping; it’s that other countries are catching up,” Galvin said. “Americans have a very firm and sophisticated understanding of the competitiveness we’re dealing with. I don’t think they resent it, but they want to know what we’re going to do about it.” It was a bit curious that only 13 percent of respondents chose India as incubator of the next Gates, Galvin said. The survey, of 1,203 U.S. adults, also compared respondents’ attitudes about the Internet compared to earlier technologies. Asked which would make it harder for people to work, one’s car not starting, or the loss of Internet and e-mail access, an overwhelming 78 percent sided with the car, and only 10 percent chose the Internet. When Galvin has asked the same question of friends in the public-transportation friendly Washington area, the responses ran about 50-50, he said. Eight percent of respondents chose the “neither/other” option.“I didn’t think the Internet was going to beat [the car], but I thought it was going to compete,” he said.The Internet fared better against the printing press. Asked which was the greater invention, 32 percent of respondents said the Internet, while 65 percent said the printing press. “It’s going to be one of the interesting debates we’re going to have over the next several years,” Galvin said.But respondents said they still prefer the evening news over citizen-created videos. Seventy percent said they prefer to watch the news to get information on an event, while only about 20 percent chose a citizen video.And asked if the average 12-year-old or the average member of the U.S. Congress knew more about the Internet, respondents voted heavily against the politicians. Eighty-three percent chose the 12-year-old, and only 10 percent chose the legislators.Zogby and 463 plan to continue doing the surveys periodically, Galvin said. The survey had a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points. –Grant Gross, IDG News ServiceRelated Link: Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer Bonuses Cut by MicrosoftCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content BrandPost What’s next for network operations Broadcom: 2023 Tech Trends That Transform IT By Serge Lucio, Vice President and General Manager, Agile Operations Division Mar 20, 2023 8 mins IT Leadership Networking BrandPost Digital transformation obstacles: Stubborn challenges, what to do about them Value Stream Management is an increasingly essential approach to strategic transformation initiatives. To help teams more fully capitalize on the opportunities it presents, Broadcom is holding its third annual VSM Summit. By Marla Schimke, Head of Product and Growth Marketing, Broadcom's Enterprise Software Division Mar 20, 2023 3 mins Devops Software Development Feature CEO directives: Top 5 initiatives for IT leaders As organizations change course with economic gyrations, collaboration between IT and business becomes priority No. 1 for CEOs. By Stacy Collett Mar 20, 2023 7 mins IT Leadership Feature Topgolf Callaway tees up digital transformation for global expansion As Topgolf Callaway Brands transitions from focusing on manufacturing golf equipment to integrating its apparel and technology acquisitions, digital transformation is helping drive its future. By Thor Olavsrud Mar 20, 2023 6 mins Digital Transformation Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe