Iq and political orientation
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The Relationship Between IQ and Political Orientation
Intelligence and Political Centrality
Research indicates a significant relationship between intelligence and political orientation. A study conducted in Brazil found that individuals with higher IQs tend to have political opinions that are more centrist or center-right. This relationship persisted even after accounting for variables such as gender, age, education, and income. Interestingly, while intelligence promoted political centrality, education was found to push individuals towards more extreme political orientations1.
Openness to Experience and Leftism
The relationship between IQ and political orientation is complex and multifaceted. One study tested the Cultural Mediation Hypothesis (CMH) and found that Openness to Experience largely mediates the relationship between IQ and leftist political views. However, the study also noted that personality traits and life history strategies might play a significant role in determining whether an individual's political orientation is extreme or moderate. This suggests that while intelligence can influence political orientation, other factors such as personality and cultural norms are also important2.
Regional Variations in Political Attitudes
In Britain, data analysis revealed that average IQ is positively associated with right-wing economic attitudes and trust in experts at both regional and local authority levels. However, the association between IQ and liberal social attitudes or the intention to vote Remain in the EU referendum was weaker. This indicates that while intelligence may influence certain political attitudes, its impact can vary depending on the specific political context and issues at hand4.
Intelligence and Political Party Identification
A study involving German twins and their families found that supporters of certain political parties, such as the Pirate Party and the Green Party, had higher levels of intelligence compared to other party identifiers. Additionally, there was a modest negative correlation between intelligence and political conservatism, suggesting that more intelligent individuals might be less likely to hold conservative views. The study also indicated that genetic factors could partly explain the relationship between intelligence and political orientation6.
Verbal Intelligence and Ideology
Research has shown that low verbal intelligence is predictive of right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and social dominance orientation (SDO). This suggests that individuals with lower verbal abilities may be more inclined towards conservative ideologies. The findings support the idea that high-IQ individuals, who possess more flexible and adaptable personalities, are better able to process and endorse political and social attitudes that align with culturally constructed norms5 8.
Rationality of Political Preferences
Intelligence also appears to be associated with the rationality of political preferences. Studies in the United States found that higher intelligence is linked to greater consistency between political attitudes and political preferences, particularly for global and social attitudes. This suggests that more intelligent individuals are better able to align their political preferences with their underlying attitudes, leading to more coherent and rational political choices7.
Conclusion
The relationship between IQ and political orientation is influenced by a variety of factors, including personality traits, cultural norms, and genetic predispositions. While higher intelligence tends to be associated with more centrist or left-leaning political views, the specific nature of this relationship can vary depending on the context and the particular political attitudes being examined. Understanding this complex interplay can provide valuable insights into the cognitive and social underpinnings of political behavior.
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Most relevant research papers on this topic
Political orientations, intelligence and education
Higher IQ levels are associated with politically center-right and centrist orientations, while education promotes more extreme political orientations in a Brazilian sample.
Observational StudyBeyond the Cultural Mediation Hypothesis: A reply to Dutton (2013)
The relationship between IQ and political leftism is primarily mediated by Openness to Experience, with personality and life history strategy playing a significant role in determining extreme or moderate political orientation.
Survey of expert opinion on intelligence: Intelligence research, experts' background, controversial issues, and the media
Experts' backgrounds, particularly political orientation and gender, influence their views on intelligence research, controversial issues, and the media.
Observational StudyIQ and political attitudes across British regions and local authorities
Average IQ in Britain is positively associated with right-wing economic attitudes and trust in experts, but average SES is a better predictor of political attitudes than IQ.
Observational StudyProblematic constructs and cultural-mediation: A comment on Heaven, Ciarrochi and Leeson (2011)
Low IQ and verbal ability predict right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation, but the cultural-mediation hypothesis should be the default explanation for the correlation between IQ and political orientation.
Observational StudyPatterns and sources of the association between intelligence, party identification, and political orientations
Supporters of the Pirate and Green Parties have higher intelligence levels than other party identifiers, with a modest negative correlation between intelligence and political conservatism.
Observational StudyIntelligence and the rationality of political preferences
Intelligence is associated with greater consistency in political attitudes and preferences, but not in specific economic attitudes.
Observational StudyRevisiting the link between low verbal intelligence and ideology
Low verbal intelligence is linked to conservative ideology, but the General Factor of Personality (GFP) does not uniquely predict ideology beyond intelligence.
Observational StudyPersonality and political orientation: Meta‐analysis and test of a threat‐constraint model.
Openness to Experience and Conscientiousness are weakly correlated with political conservatism, with the link being stronger when systemic threat is low.
Meta-Analysis
Highly CitedNeoliberalism and IQ: Naturalizing economic and racial inequality
IQ has been used by neoliberals to justify economic and racial inequality, promoting privatization and free market society.
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