Okay, you all know me as a rabid pro-evolution, anti-religion nut.

That said, I do have to point out that IQ tests are somewhat subjective when it comes to quantifying a person's intelligence.

Although I share the strong suspicion that there's something wrong with the reasoning ability of the red-staters ... this is a rehashed prank, at least the states data:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/ballot/stateiq.asp


I've tried finding state IQ data and I've never been able to. Maybe because nobody has given the same IQ test nationally so the data isn't out there in any reliable format?

The conclusion of this data implies a circumstantial ad hominem. I believe that's the proper fallacy, anyway.

>> ^alizarin:
Although I share the strong suspicion that there's something wrong with the reasoning ability of the red-staters ... this is a rehashed prank, at least the states data:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/ballot/stateiq.asp

I've tried finding state IQ data and I've never been able to. Maybe because nobody has given the same IQ test nationally so the data isn't out there in any reliable format?


I knew there was something fishy about this video...

Thanks for backing me up, I had this debate years ago where I proposed that as intelligence rises the likelihood of belief in god diminishes, the best my opponents could come up with was "Well Einstein said; 'God doesn't play dice with the Universe', so he must have believed in God!", which as I pointed out, isn't true and even if it were true, one would expect outliers in any statistical study.

Sorry but Canadians do NOT score lower than Americans.

1. Canadian children scored Full Scale IQ= 103.34, Verbal= 101.4, Performance = 104.96 on the (American) WISC-III. Source: Wechsler, D. (1996), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Third Edition, Canadian Supplement. (Communicated by Dr. D. Saklofske).

(Since the tests are standardized American tests the average American score is of course 100)

coltrane = *jazz

Adding video to channels (Jazz) - requested by SlipperyPete.

There's not good data on IQ tabulated by US state, but some commentators have found 8th grade reading scores, for which there is good data, to be a reasonable proxy. The list is too long to post here, but below is the conclusion:

Reading Averages (Means):
Bush States: 262.2
Gore States: 262.5

So, the Gore states scored a fraction of a point higher than the Bush states, but there was essentially no difference. (Source)

There existed in 2000 a U shaped pattern, with Gore doing best with the least and most educated.

Vote by Education

No H.S. Degree
% of All Voters 5%
Gore 59%
Bush 39%

High School Graduate
% of All Voters 21%
Gore 48%
Bush 49%

Some College
% of All Voters 32%
Gore 45%
Bush 51%

College Graduate
% of All Voters 24%
Gore 45%
Bush 51%

Post-Graduate Degree
% of All Voters 18%
Gore 52%
Bush 44%

(Source)

I was about to post the same Snopes link that was already posted. The state IQ data has been verified to be completely false.

I actually have researched this in the past. I couldn't find any good reliable data for IQ levels by state. I did however find data for education level by state. I was interested in it because Republicans always claim that Republicans are more likely to have 4 year degrees. This is true, but I think it's misleading. Here is basically what I found:

1. Undereducated people are slightly more Democratic.
2. People with 4 year degrees are more Republican.
3. People with postgraduate degrees are extremely Democratic.

However, minorities are tipping the scales.

1. Minority races are more likely to be undereducated.
2. Minority races are extremely democratic.
3. If you look only at white people, educated level and being a Democrat are directly correlated.

When I researched it, I made these charts. And I actually used real data!

http://bvinc.blogspot.com/2008/12/2008-election-results-vs-white.html

Intelligent Republicans?

Sarah Palin.

(that is all)

Claim that japan has the highest IQ AND least religious is absolutely wrong.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Japan

According to the CIA World Factbook 84% to 96% of population adhere to Shinto and Buddhism while 4% to 16% of the demographic population adhere to other religions or non-religious, atheist groups. However, such high numbers come primarily from birth records, following a longstanding practice of family lines being officially associated with a local Buddhist temple and not the people truly following the religion. The majority of Japanese carry on the roles of one or more religious body, but do not consider themselves believers in one particular religion, but are syncretistic.

>> ^Drachen_Jager:
Sorry but Canadians do NOT score lower than Americans.
1. Canadian children scored Full Scale IQ= 103.34, Verbal= 101.4, Performance = 104.96 on the (American) WISC-III. Source: Wechsler, D. (1996), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Third Edition, Canadian Supplement. (Communicated by Dr. D. Saklofske).
(Since the tests are standardized American tests the average American score is of course 100)


Are IQ tests standardised to FORCE the average to 100? That seems really unlikely to me. Because if we were getting thicker, we'd have an average of 90 IQ, then we'd go "Hang on a minute, add 10 to that to put the average to 100 again." Then we'd have an average of 100, and be less intelligent than a guy 10 years ago with 100IQ.

Of course IQ is an arbitrary scale invented by humans, but that scale can't MOVE surely, otherwise it puts all figures into dissaray, they mean nothing. It's like saying "Ok, earth temperatures have gone up by 2 degrees celsius. So we're adjusting the scale downwards by 2 degrees. Temperature restored guys!"

>> ^dannym3141:
>> ^Drachen_Jager:
Sorry but Canadians do NOT score lower than Americans.
1. Canadian children scored Full Scale IQ= 103.34, Verbal= 101.4, Performance = 104.96 on the (American) WISC-III. Source: Wechsler, D. (1996), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Third Edition, Canadian Supplement. (Communicated by Dr. D. Saklofske).
(Since the tests are standardized American tests the average American score is of course 100)

Are IQ tests standardised to FORCE the average to 100? That seems really unlikely to me. Because if we were getting thicker, we'd have an average of 90 IQ, then we'd go "Hang on a minute, add 10 to that to put the average to 100 again." Then we'd have an average of 100, and be less intelligent than a guy 10 years ago with 100IQ.
Of course IQ is an arbitrary scale invented by humans, but that scale can't MOVE surely, otherwise it puts all figures into dissaray, they mean nothing. It's like saying "Ok, earth temperatures have gone up by 2 degrees celsius. So we're adjusting the scale downwards by 2 degrees. Temperature restored guys!"


I'll reply to myself. Apparently they are regularly normalised to 100. What a rediculous system. The numbers mean absolutely nothing, then?

I got all uppity last time this was posted:
http://www.videosift.com/video/Average-IQ-by-Blue-vs-Red-State-Religious-vs-Atheist
..not going to do it again.

Many tests are normalized, including the college admissions test here in the US (the SATs). The scores only have meaning relative to each other.

Sometimes the tests have to be re-normalized because the population scores differently. The SATs, for example, had to be re-normed in the 80s or 90s to keep the average at 1000, because the population was scoring lower than previous generations.
>> ^dannym3141:
>> ^dannym3141:
>> ^Drachen_Jager:
Sorry but Canadians do NOT score lower than Americans.
1. Canadian children scored Full Scale IQ= 103.34, Verbal= 101.4, Performance = 104.96 on the (American) WISC-III. Source: Wechsler, D. (1996), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Third Edition, Canadian Supplement. (Communicated by Dr. D. Saklofske).
(Since the tests are standardized American tests the average American score is of course 100)

Are IQ tests standardised to FORCE the average to 100? That seems really unlikely to me. Because if we were getting thicker, we'd have an average of 90 IQ, then we'd go "Hang on a minute, add 10 to that to put the average to 100 again." Then we'd have an average of 100, and be less intelligent than a guy 10 years ago with 100IQ.
Of course IQ is an arbitrary scale invented by humans, but that scale can't MOVE surely, otherwise it puts all figures into dissaray, they mean nothing. It's like saying "Ok, earth temperatures have gone up by 2 degrees celsius. So we're adjusting the scale downwards by 2 degrees. Temperature restored guys!"

I'll reply to myself. Apparently they are regularly normalised to 100. What a rediculous system. The numbers mean absolutely nothing, then?

>> ^brain:
I was about to post the same Snopes link that was already posted. The state IQ data has been verified to be completely false.
I actually have researched this in the past. I couldn't find any good reliable data for IQ levels by state. I did however find data for education level by state. I was interested in it because Republicans always claim that Republicans are more likely to have 4 year degrees. This is true, but I think it's misleading. Here is basically what I found:
1. Undereducated people are slightly more Democratic.
2. People with 4 year degrees are more Republican.
3. People with postgraduate degrees are extremely Democratic.
However, minorities are tipping the scales.
1. Minority races are more likely to be undereducated.
2. Minority races are extremely democratic.
3. If you look only at white people, educated level and being a Democrat are directly correlated.
When I researched it, I made these charts. And I actually used real data!
http://bvinc.blogspot.com/2008/12/2008-election-results-vs-white.html



Real data??? Raptor Riding Jesus DOES NOT WANT!

Speaking from experience, as I have been to almost every state and have lived in several. The people in the middle of the country and in the south are far more religious and far less intelligent than the people near on the coasts. It's just an observation, and I'm not saying that this is in any way binding for everyone and covers all states. I'm just saying from what I have seen and experienced, the map shown is more likely to be true than false...I'm just saying.