What percentage of Answers questions are answered because someone went to Wikipedia and looked?

Question

What percentage of Answers questions are answered because someone went to Wikipedia and looked?

Answer 1

according to wikipedia, it is "a large percentage", my guess would be 90%. That is why i prefer to post questions that really can't be answered by wikipedia

Answer 2

I think a fairly large amount. However, don't assume just because someone cites wikipedia- or any website- that they simply "went to wikipedia and looked." Even if I know the answer, I still site sources. Wikipedia is usually the easiest to do that with.



(Note I used it in this answer to be a wiseguy)

Answer 3

While I don't know the percentage, fairly often the asker did not know what words to look up in the wikipedia, but the answerers did. The problem with database search engines is that if you misspell the search term or misremember it, the context won't really help you. Over here there are people who can understand the context, know the keywords, and yield the results.

Answer 4

I have answered 93 questions, and used Wikipedia.org 4 times. You do the math. As some one else expressed, search terms and search engines can be quite tricky--and there is a lot to be found on Google then just the basic searches. I also use Microsoft Encarta online edition quite a bit.



And no, I did not use Wikipedia in formulating this answer.

Answer 5

And there is the real question, why couldn't the person have checked Wikipedia or Google first, typically, I will only ask a question here if it wasn't easily found on Goolge or Wikipedia. And then there is the case of repeat questions which is another subject entirely.

Answer 6

For what I've seen, I'd say some of them. But hey, they are teaching that person that wikipedia or similar resources exist. If that person isn't interested in doing Internet research, then she got a good answer from an intermediary and, again, no problem there.

Answer 7

From what i have seen in answers i have read and had answered about 60%, some of the questions are opinions so a person doesn't have to look anywhere also people use google alot to answer questions

Answer 8

I might have used it once to answer a person's question. I have seen others list it as their source, a small percentage.