65% of Americans say religion is an important part of their daily lives
PRINCETON, NJ -- An analysis of more than 350,000 interviews conducted by Gallup in 2008 finds Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Arkansas to be the most religious states in the nation. Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts are the least religious states.
Reading this reminded me of a map I saw not too long ago:
If an average IQ is 100 then about half the population has an IQ above 100 and half below100.
"Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!” George Carlin
State % Religious <>IQ
- Mississippi 85<> 85
- Alabama 82 <>90
- S.Carolina 80 <>89
- Tennessee 79 <>94
- Louisiana 78 <>90
- Arkansas 78 <>92
- Georgia 76 <>92
- N.Carolina 76 <>93
- Oklahoma 75 <>90
- Kentucky 74<> 92
- Texas 74 <>92
State % Religious<> IQ
- Vermont 42 <>102
- New Hampshire 46<> 105
- Maine 48<> 100
- Massachusetts 48 <>111
- Alaska 51 <>98
- Washington 52<> 102
- Oregon 53 <>99
- Rhode Island 53<> 107
- Nevada 54 <>99
- Connecticut 55<> 113
If you see a correlation here between religiosity and intelligence your paying attention. If not maybe you have been spending to much time in church.
Does the same IQ/religiosity correlation apply to countries as well? Keep on reading.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goQajNcG39s (Found this and added 5/13/09)
Intelligent people 'less likely to believe in God'
People with higher IQs are less likely to believe in God, according to a new study.
Why should fewer academics believe in God than the general population? I believe it is simply a matter of the IQ. Academics have higher IQs than the general population.
Are Americans among the most religious people in the world? The answer depends on which "world" you're talking about. If you're referring to the entire planet, the answer is plainly "no." In 2006, 2007, and 2008, Gallup asked representative samples in 143 countries and territories whether religion was an important part of their daily lives. The accompanying map shows religiosity by country, ranging from the least religious to the most religious on a relative basis. Across all populations, the median proportion of residents who said religion is important in their daily lives is 82%. Americans fall well below this midpoint, at 65%.
A population's religiosity level is strongly related to its average standard of living. Gallup's World Poll, for example, indicates that 8 of the 11 countries in which almost all residents (at least 98%) say religion is important in their daily lives are poorer nations in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the 10 least religious countries studied include several with the world's highest living standards, including Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Hong Kong, and Japan. (Several other countries on this list are former Soviet republics, places where the state suppressed religious expression for decades.)
Social scientists have noted that one thing that makes Americans distinctive is our high level of religiosity relative to other rich-world populations. Among 27 countries commonly seen as part of the developed world, the median proportion of those who say religion is important in their daily lives is just 38%. From this perspective, the fact that two-thirds of Americans respond this way makes us look extremely devout.
Well that of course makes me wonder where American's would rank in IQ compared to the other "rich-world" countries.
But that will have to wait for another day.
Russel's Teapot (http://russellsteapot.com/
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