The International Technology Education Association (ITEA) commissioned the Gallup Organization in the spring of 2001 to research American citizens' knowledge and attitudes about technological literacy. Technology is important in everyone's lives, whether they are aware of it or not and regardless of the need or desire to understand their surroundings. During the spring of 2004, the same poll was conducted with students at a small rural school district located in the northeastern region of the United States. There were 56 students in Grades 9-12 participating. The goal was very similar to the poll administered by ITEA: to determine the students' understanding and perception of technology. Just as in the two Gallup polls administered by ITEA, what the students thought is not what is necessarily true. Surveys are not about fact; they are, instead, about what people think. The use of the ITEA Gallup poll has now allowed students at this school to gain a much broader view of what technology and design are. Another area that has been emphasized, since administering this survey, is that science and mathematics play a major role in the study of technology. It is planned that this poll will be administered again in several years, and a comparison will be made between those results and the results of the current poll. Technology education teachers everywhere are encouraged to use this poll to improve instruction. There is evidence present that the data received will be interesting as well as beneficial when teaching students technology.