🧐 What We Know: A new quiz from MarketBeat put that question to the test. The company asked nearly four thousand Americans to answer five questions about tariffs. Iowa took the gold, with residents scoring a sky-high 90 percent. Indiana, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Idaho followed close behind. Georgia landed in the top tier, too, with a score of 76 percent —just above the national average. So, if you are at a backyard barbecue in Macon, odds are someone can explain why your imported grill costs more this year.

For the last 100 days, the word “tariff” has sparked more debate than a family group chat—especially since Donald Trump made it a household term. But here’s the real question: Do people actually know what a tariff is, or are they just nodding along at the dinner table?

🧐 What We Know: A new quiz from MarketBeat put that question to the test. The company asked nearly four thousand Americans to answer five questions about tariffs. Iowa took the gold, with residents scoring a sky-high 90 percent. Indiana, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Idaho followed close behind. Georgia landed in the top tier, too, with a score of 76 percent —just above the national average. So, if you are at a backyard barbecue in Macon, odds are someone can explain why your imported grill costs more this year.

Louisiana, meanwhile, finished dead last. Maybe they thought “tariff” was a new kind of crawfish.

🤔 Why This Should Catch Your Attention: Tariffs used to be the kind of thing you only heard about from someone who wears a bow tie to work. Now, thanks to inflation, layoffs, and global drama, everyone has an opinion—even if they are not sure what a tariff actually is.

When asked if they would explain tariffs at a party, 1 about one in 3 Americans said yes. Another 41 percent would try to fake it, 19 percent would change the subject, and 6 percent would just leave. So, if you see someone sprinting for the door at your next get-together, you know why.

📺 Who Made it Happen: MarketBeat, a financial media company, ran the quiz and crunched the numbers. They also made the quiz available online, so you can MarketBeat—just in case you want to impress or bore your friends — or know when to shut up.

💸 Why It Matters: Tariffs are no longer just background noise. They affect prices at the store, jobs in your town, and yes, even the cost of your next backyard cookout. Georgians are paying attention, with 58 percent saying they get their trade news from traditional outlets. Social media comes in second at 30 percent, while podcasts and YouTube barely register.

🧐 What We Know: A new quiz from MarketBeat put that question to the test. The company asked nearly four thousand Americans to answer five questions about tariffs. Iowa took the gold, with residents scoring a sky-high 90 percent. Indiana, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Idaho followed close behind. Georgia landed in the top tier, too, with a score of 76 percent —just above the national average. So, if you are at a backyard barbecue in Macon, odds are someone can explain why your imported grill costs more this year.
B.T. Clark
Publisher at 

B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.