US election and IQ

[teekc]

So some random guy compiled this after the election that doesn't have the outcome other random guy expected. Just look at it, have a little laugh if you can, or not, or you want to use it in your next essay for your english class, or not. i have to say, the election is over, and the result is fixed, as in cannot change anymore. There is no point blaming this and that, don't even get into computer glitch and phantom voters, have a little faith in the system if not the adminstration.

[Wordplay]

It's wery wery simple:

US IQ is in the BUSH.

[Rednik]

Ha, the ones in the middle are swing states.

I'm proud to live in good ole' 101 Pennsylvania.

[Cernak]

teekc, this is a fascinating post. You should consider moving it to Alley of Dangerous Angles. It deserves to be seen by the political posters (like myself).

[teekc]

So, you are from ohio, high in the middle, round at both ends? (i always want to say that to a ohio-an after watching the Daily Show)

Well, let's see which direction is the coming ups going and if it gets serious enough someone will move it to AoDA like my previous kerry ad post. Plus, i have a friend from Fargo, North Dakota and i previously went to NDSU, and ND is at pretty bottom of the list and i just happened to be a foreigner to Americans who is very liberal who comes a federation that adopts Islam as its religion which stated in its constitution, ahh well, let's don't take it too seriously, eh?

[ November 09, 2004, 05:10: Message edited by: teekc ]

[Splunge]

Interesting, but unless I missed it, they didn't say how many people were tested in each state, and whether they were randomly selected, which we'd need to know in order to be able to determine whether any statistically-valid conclusions can be drawn.

[ November 09, 2004, 15:32: Message edited by: Splunge ]

[Taluntain]

I'm moving this to AoDA in case people want to discuss it seriously (which, much to my surprise, seems to be the trend in this topic).

[Blackthorne TA]

Statistically valid? You must be joking! Even if any of those charts is accurate, it says nothing IMO.

They show an average IQ, and which candidate won for each state. Average IQ essentially says nothing, especially given the fact that the vote split in every state mainly around the 50/50 60/40 area. So regardless of which state you are talking about, there were many people who voted for each candidate.

If you really wanted to discover a meaningful correlation (if it even exists), you'd need the data by individual.

[ArtEChoke]

I was discussing this list with an office-fellow, and he was quite convinced that it couldn't be credible, as it seems like the average citizen of Mississippi is mentally retarded.

So just for reference I googled mental retardation to see where the line was drawn:
Mental Retardation - FOR KIDS!

According to that site (FOR KIDS!) 90 - 110 is average, and <75 could mean you're a big silly retardopotamus. So if that list has a shred of truth to it, the honorable denizens of Mississippi are only a little dim. GO MISSISSIPPI!

It begs a question though: Do you think the average citizen of Mississippi, can in fact, spell Mississippi?

Incidently, on the same search I found some good news for our esteemed Very-Special-President Bush. Turns out he's evidently not retarded.

Imagine my sigh of relief.

[Splunge]

@BTA:

Statistically valid? You must be joking!

Hey, I thought I deserved a lot of credit for not simply jumping on the republican-bashing bandwagon! Actually going so far as to discredit the "study" (as you have done) just didn't seem right.

[Aldeth the Foppish Idiot]

It's not statistically valid. It clearly states that: "This IQ data is based on SAT/ACT test scores." That means the sample population comprises mostly people who are 17 or 18 years old, and is certainly NOT a representative sample of the population.

Furthermore, 85 is pretty below average. I doubt there are many people, even in Mississippi with an IQ of 85 taking the SATs. Actaully, I find any figure deviating by more than 5 points from the norm to be highly suspicious. There are intelligent people everywhere, and to get an average beyond the range of 95-105 should be treated with a dubious eye.

[AMaster]

The data from that graph was published in the Economist, which subsequently retracted it, saying the data could not be verified and was likely a hoax.

In other words: it's nonsense.

[Bion]

Yeah, the average ACT taker would be above average with respect to the population at large.

They might have 1) taken average ACT/SAT scores for the 50 states, 2) extrapolated this to the population at large by assuming that the state with the medium composite test score had an average IQ of 100, and 3) extrapolated IQs for other states.

Of course, ACT/SAT scores would be much higher in Connecticut than in Mississippi, as would IQ scores across the population: Connecticut is IIRC the wealthiest state per capita while Mississippi is the poorest, and standardized test scores tend to be heavily correlated to affluence. But an IQ spread between means of 113 and 85 would really be extreme and noticable: a significant percentage people from Connecticut would be geniuses, while a significant percentage of people from Mississippi would be clinically retarded.

[The Great Snook]

Hmm..

Building on what Bion said maybe the it is really the Democratic party that is the party of the rich fat cats and the Republican party is the party of the common people.

Something to think about.

[Rednik]

The Republican party is by no means the party of people, at least on the national level. Sure, many "common people" do vote for the party, but what does it provide other than the fulfillment of their religious agenda in politics and some superficial tax cuts?

If the Republican party seeks to truly claim the mantle of "The party of the people", then it needs to at least distance itself from the corporations that drive it. How that will happen is anyone's guess.

[Cernak]

Please note that the material before and after the graph contains many qualifications. It's a fascinating chart, and perhaps a bit of a placebo to the disappointed, but it's not, nor does it claim to be, the word of God. (Unlike the utterances of some political persuasions, which shall not be named here.)

[Aldeth the Foppish Idiot]

There are some other factors consider as well. Building off what Bion said, it is probably true that the average IQ of people from Connecticut ARE higher than those of Mississippi. Not only is affluence heavily tied to IQ, but the industrial centers of the nation are also located primarily in the northeast and the west coast. These are the locations were the scientist, engineers, and developers go, and where the lawyers and doctors follow them.

Also, from my experience IQ tests are a better measure of one's education than one's intelligence. Again, it is the educated that flock to industrial centers. Sure these industrial and populations spawn ghettos as well, with many, many uneducated, poverty-stricken people, but these people aren't taking the SATs and thus aren't included in the survey.