Although 951 readers responded to the poll, not everyone answered every question. The percentages are based on the actual answers received.
IN 20 YEARS…
1. Doctors will be performing…
– Cryogenics (freezing dead people to be revived later) 52%
– Cloning (creating life from cells) 40%
– Limb transplants 35%
– Routine transplants with animal parts 33%
– Brain transplants 30%
2. There will be a cure for…
– AIDS 73%
– Cancer 58%
– Heart disease 35%
– Bad eyesight 32%
– Common colds 26%
– Bad breath 23%
– Cavities 22%
3. Animals that will be extinct…
– Black rhinos 59%
– African elephants 49%
– California gray whales 45%
– Gorilla 24%?
4. We will have seen…
– Humans visit Mars 50%
– Someone living in space 50%
– Someone born in space 43%
– Another spaceship disaster 38%
– Aliens contact earth 25%
5. There will have been elected a U.S. president who is…
– A woman 77%
– An African American 53%
– A Jewish American 28%
– A Hispanic American 23%
– An open homosexual 20%
– An Asian American 18%
6. How much money will you make a year?
$0-50,000: 24%
$50,001-100,000: 24%
$100,001-200,000: 11%
$200,001-500,000: 12%
$500,001-1 million: 6%
$1,000,001-10 million: 12%
More than $10 million: 11%
7. Will you be married?
Yes: 88%
No: 9%
Maybe/Don’t Know: 3%
8. Will you have children?
Yes: 87%
No: 12%
Maybe/Don’t know: 1%
…if yes, how many?
1: 10%
2: 51%
3: 22%
4: 11%
5 or more: 6%
9. What town or city will you live in?
Chicago: 30%
Los Angeles: 5% (including Beverly Hills and Hollywood)
Orlando: 4%
Atlanta: 3%
New York: 3%
(203 places named.)
10. What will your occupation be?
Doctor: 15%
Lawyer: 12%
Teacher: 10%
Baseball player: 5%
Basketball player: 4%
Author: 3%
Veterinarian: 3%
(159 professions named.)
11. How many grades of school will you complete?
6-11: 4%
12-15: 11%
16-19: 61%
More than 20: 24%
12. Will you or someone you know have been shot?
Yes: 48%
No: 46%
Maybe/don’t know: 6%
13: Which of these will be illegal?
– Marijuana 59%
– Handguns 54%
– Tobacco 39%
– Abortion 33%
– Alcohol 28%
14. People won’t be eating…
– Sushi 49%
– Tofu 40%
– Broccoli 26%
– Any meat 17%
– Hamburger 16%
– Candy 15%
15. The most popular hairdos will be…
Women’s
– Long 58%
– Unique colors 49%
– Straight 42%
– Crewcut 16%
– Bald 15%
Men’s
– Crewcut 42%
– Straight 35%
– Long 31%
– Bald 26%
– Unique colors 26%
16. These fashions will still be popular…
– Athletic wear 62%
– Earrings for men 46%
– Earrings for women 45%
– Baggy jeans 42%
– Backward baseball caps 37%
– Tattoos 28%
17. What will be the most popular pet?
– Dogs: 46%
– Cats: 13%
– Monkeys: 6%
– Birds: 4%
– Pigs: 3%
(63 pets named.)
18. These athletes will have been named to their respective halls of fame…
– Michael Jordan 90%
– Scottie Pippen 72%
– Ryne Sandberg 53%
– Mark Grace 44%
– Frank Thomas 44%
– Jeremy Roenick 25%
– Ed Belfour 24%
– Jack McDowell 21%
– Chris Chelios 19%
– Jim Harbaugh 12%
– Trace Armstrong 11%
– Mark Carrier 10%
19. Women will be pro athletes playing in…
– The NBA 61%
– Major League Baseball 59%
– The NHL 42%
– The NFL 20%
20. Will…
– The Cubs win a World Series?
Yes: 31%; No: 69%
– The White Sox win a World Series?
Yes: 58%; No: 42%
– The Bears win a Super Bowl?
yes: 40%; No: 60%
– The Blackhawks win a Stanley Cup?
Yes: 65%; No: 35%
– The Bulls win an NBA title?
Yes: 81%; No: 19%
21. Will you have to pay to watch the World Series and Super Bowl on TV?
Yes: 43%
No: 56%
Maybe/don’t know: 1%
22. How many TV stations will there be?
1-100: 42%
101-500: 40%
501-1,000: 10%
1,001-1 million: 6%
More than 1 million: 2%
23. Prime-time TV shows will include…
– Swearing 58%
– More violence 51%
– Nudity 47%
– More family comedies 46%
– More cartoons 28%
24. Everyday items that won’t be around anymore…
– Conventional ovens 56%
– Eyeglasses 42%
– Keys 42%
– Braces 32%
– Books 21%
– Cars 15%
– Toothbrushes 14%
25. Will different races have stopped fighting with each other in the U.S.?
Yes: 43%
No: 55%
Maybe/don’t know: 2%
26. People will still be listening to…
– Rock ‘n’ roll 60%
– Rap 56%
– Dance music 50%
– Classical 40%
– Jazz 35%
– Country 28%
27. And they’ll listen to music most on…
– Some newfangled device 72%
– Compact discs 51%
– Mini discs 37%
– Digital tapes 21%
– Cassette tapes 11%
28. Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame inductees will include…
– Michael Jackson 58%
– Whitney Houston 50%
– Boyz II Men 47%
– Guns N’ Roses 37%
– Madonna 34%
– Metallica 27%
– Kris Kross 26%
– Pearl Jam 26%
– Nirvana 18%
– Ice-T 17%
29. People will watch movies…
– At home on big screens 59%
– Through specially designed viewer glasses 50%
– On home computers 45%
– In theaters 28%
30. Movies will look like…
– Virtual reality 60%
– Holograms 53%
– Same as they do now
31. Oscar winners will include…
– Macauley Culkin 50%
– Will Smith 44%
– Jaleel White 35%
– Jason Priestley 32%
– Fred Savage 32%
– Candace Cameron 29%
– Mark-Paul Gosselaar 29%
– Mayim Bialik 26%
– Sara Gilbert
– Drew Barrymore 14%
– Elija Wood 9%
32. Your kids will do their homework with…
– Computers that transmit homework directly to school 73%
– Personal computers that print out papers 49%
– Pen and paper 11%
33. Kids will read KidNews
– On their personal computer 63%
– On TV screens 34%
– In the newspaper 24%
IN THE NEAR FUTURE…
Who will be president after Bill Clinton?
– Ross Perot 28%
– Al Gore 14%
– Hillary Clinton 7%
– A woman 5%
– Jesse Jackson 4%
(103 candidates listed.)
Besides Bosnia, where is the next most likely place that the U.S. will be involved in a war?
– Russia 13%
– Iraq 12%
– Japan 7%
– Middle East 7%
– China 5%
– Nowhere 4%
(82 trouble spots named.)
(Note: Some answers may not equal 100% because more than one answer was allowed.)
