Society/Culture Why do less intelligent people gravitate to conservative/right wing ideology.

[Mofra]

The Daily Mail article reports upon a study by Gordon Hodson, a psychologist at Brock University in Ontario, Canada. (another Canadian Academic Psychologist but without a youtube presence). He looked at data from 2 UK studies testing child development. The subjects were
(a) 4,267 boys and 4,537 girls born in 1958;
(b) 3,412 boys and 3,658 girls born in 1970.

The tests were of
(c) verbal and non verbal intelligence; and
(d) cognitive abilities (number recall, shape-drawing tasks, defining words and identifying patterns and similarities among words).

In both surveys, 23 years later, the same groups were asked to answer a series of questions about traditions, authority and attitudes toward other races. Hodson then postulated a definition of conservatism which is undefined but looks to be based upon attitudes towards Authority and other races and concluded that low-intelligence adults tend to gravitate toward socially conservtive ideologies.

I’d very cautious about accepting the conclusions drawn by Grin and his gaggle of applauders from the article helpfully posted by Mofra

So would I.

Here's a meta-analysis that's far more wide ranging.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/55893129.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiZksKNiq38AhWmwjgGHVyFAdQQFnoECC0QAQ&usg=AOvVaw2xHhvNmp4MW8yHxMsywA_c

There is a significant body of work on the subject. Assuming the entire concept is based off a single study is folly.

 

[Grin]

Obviously there's overwhelming research linking stupid people with socially conservative and right wing beliefs. I'm not going to argue this very well established fact here.
My question is why? For example: Do stupid people find simplistic views of the world more reassuring?

My feeling is that dumb people are obviously much easier to manipulate.
Because the right only represents the interests of only a very small minority of the population, they need to con a significant number of people into voting against their own interests. Fear is generated amongst the stupid through the creation and distribution of conspiracy theories, and the poor dumb f***s flock in droves.
It's the oldest political trick in the book. Of course, once you've tricked these idiots into believing various implausible conspiracy theories, they will angrily and violently defend their moronic ideology to the detriment of themselves and society in general, but to the benefit of a very small minority.

I don't have great insight into the mindset of our intellectually challenged conservative or right wing fellow Ausies. They often just make me shake my head in disbelief that anyone could be so incredibly gullible. I'd be interested in your thoughts so I might better understand their apparently irrational ideology and behavior.

 

[Brad Goodman]

• Gullible
• Huge chip on their shoulder due to the hand they’ve been dealt

 

[FireKrakouer]

 

[Grin]

Not bait. I'm genuinely perplexed and curious.
Perhaps the stupid feel insecure about their stupidity. Thus if they can be tricked into believing they've done their own research and independently come up with 'knowledge', which is only coincidentally identical to the latest conspiracy theory being pushed on Fox, that people will think them intelligent and independent thinkers rather than stupid, mindless drones.

 

[Lethality]

Because the Left don't have any compassion and understanding for the low IQ underclass.

 

[Grin]

Because the Left don't have any compassion and understanding for the low IQ underclass.

Interesting. I would have thought they've got much more compassion than the 0.1 percenters. However, the intelligent are obviously much harder in general to con and manipulate with illogical conspiracy theories, so are labelled elites and the enemy, even though their views are much more compassionate towards and align much closer with the interests of the "low IQ underclass" than those of the extremely wealthy who seek to manipulate them into acting against their own interests.

"Those 'elites' think you're stupid, but we know you're smart and perceive things they don't understand through your own clever research (15 minute YouTube video), rendering you far more knowledgeable on any given subject than all of the experts put together, who are all pedophiles anyway and are trying to rip you off!"

That's obviously just my thoughts and I could be well off the mark.

 

[Gethelred]

Beyond this thread being a bit bait-y...

I think it's less a lack of intelligence than a lack of willingness to change or openness to new ideas.

Most people - regardless of political affiliation or intelligence - don't like change, but the more educated you are the more comfortable you are being unfamiliar with something because it's just something else/new to learn or understand. Some people will like change regardless and some people will dislike change regardless, but the more educated you are - not in terms of specialisation, but breadth of learning and knowledge - the more you realise how little you really know and grow used to that feeling and moving beyond it. It is in that embrace of uncertainty that progressive politics thrives; you need to unearth the flaws in the system, and work towards changing them, improving society for everyone within it.

Conservativism is about the protection of old ideas from the new, almost for any reason. There's a reason why they really like talking about freedom of speech; it allows them to speak on the same level as an expert without expertise, and allows them to accuse people who inform them that they don't know what they're talking about (no matter how politely or impolitely said person does it) of being elitist.

There's also the fact that over the course of life, people start to become comfortable. They know what they need to know, and unless they actively seek out the unfamiliar they cease changing, growing. I think this has a fair bit to do with conservatives being older and people trending conservative when they get older, for more or less the same reason.

It can't be a lack of intellect, because too many people are conservative for all of them to be stupid from a statistics standpoint.

 

[Lethality]

Less intelligent people are probably more likely to compete with immigrants for jobs, or to be unable to afford electric cars, or unable to afford staying home during a pandemic, or feel they need guns because they live in a bad area, etc etc.

 

[Evolved1]

There's a lot of left wing posters here who are unemployed and/or poor.

Correlation or causation?

 

[Footonddit]

The effects of conservative ideology are generally felt in an abstract way. i.e. cut welfare for the poor -> increase in crime because livable income is no longer accessible.

Easy to market the former. The effects of which can then be justified with stronger "law & order". Guarantee if you met a conservative who needed that welfare they wouldn't turn it down though. Because it directly affects them.

 

[Geelong_Sicko]

It takes effort to have compassion. It takes effort to feel empathy. It takes effort to be inclusive of those different from you. It takes effort to think about those beyond yourself and your immediate circle. Conservative/Right Wing ideology is all about freedom.

The freedom from thought.

 

[Cyg1992]

It's the easy to swallow, fast food version of social and political commentary. That's a big reason.

Insecurity is another big component and the temporary high of feeling superior to others. No matter whether it's based on reality or not.

Case in point:


There's a lot of left wing posters here who are unemployed and/or poor.

Assuming that someone is poor or unemployed means they're unintelligent.


Thirdly religion can and does sometimes play a part too.
If you're willing to believe in a sky fairy, then you can disprove any logical and/or factual point with "I believe it must be true, so it is. Forget your facts!"

 

[Cyg1992]

Less intelligent people are probably more likely to compete with immigrants for jobs, or to be unable to afford electric cars, or unable to afford staying home during a pandemic, or feel they need guns because they live in a bad area, etc etc.

I don't buy that. I tick all of those boxes except for the last one and have never bought into conservative brain washing.

If one is capable of critical thought and looking at society and the world objectively, they don't need to buy into whatever the predatory conservative media has tried to skew and poison their thought with.

 

[Gethelred]

There's a lot of left wing posters here who are unemployed and/or poor.

Correlation or causation?

There's a stronger correlation between generational wealth transfer and employment/wealth than there is between a lack of employment or poverty and left wing ideologies.

 

[Lethality]

I don't buy that. I tick all of those boxes except for the last one and have never bought into conservative brain washing.

If one is capable of critical thought and looking at society and the world objectively, they don't need to buy into whatever the predatory conservative media has tried to skew and poison their thought with.

If you are capable of critical thought then maybe you're not stupid.

 

[Evolved1]

There's a stronger correlation between generational wealth transfer and employment/wealth than there is between a lack of employment or poverty and left wing ideologies.

I haven't seen evidence for your claim. It's reasonable to expect a strong positive correlation between measures of wealth (including employment) vs actual wealth.

The SRP can be summed as a bunch of ideological lefties whinging about (allegedly) less intelligent righties who undeservedly accumulated wealth. The OP epitomises that sentiment. I find it off-putting tbh.

 

[Blue1980]

I haven't seen evidence for your claim. It's reasonable to expect a strong positive correlation between measures of wealth (including employment) vs actual wealth.

The SRP can be summed as a bunch of ideological lefties whinging about (allegedly) less intelligent righties who undeservedly accumulated wealth. The OP epitomises that sentiment. I find it off-putting tbh.

I think it’s more unhappy about people who have accumulated wealth who then want to pull the ladder out from under them, completely ignoring opportunity they got.

 

[Evolved1]

I think it’s more unhappy about people who have accumulated wealth who then want to pull the ladder out from under them, completely ignoring opportunity they got.

Interesting perspective. How did you come to that conclusion?

 

[Footonddit]

I know plenty of conservative immigrants who got lucky and successfully immigrated to Australia and who vote specifically to deny the same immigration rights to others.

They believe they "earned" the right and seem incapable of realizing they got lucky. That train of thought repeats anywhere conservatives find success. Most people work hard. You aren't special just because you think you're the only one who does.

 

[ElectricG]

Pretty much all the people in the Centrelink thread whining about not enough free money are lefties. I think there is a lot of “I’m smarter than everyone else, I’m just not financially motivated” going on on the left side of politics

 

[Gethelred]

I haven't seen evidence for your claim. It's reasonable to expect a strong positive correlation between measures of wealth (including employment) vs actual wealth.

If your parents have money and education, you are more likely to have money and education. The correlation there is stronger than the correlation between left wing ideology and poverty or joblessness.

I could pretty simply prove the former using studies (I think I've done so before, can't at the moment as I'm at work) where the latter isn't something that has been researched overmuch because it's not really a credible research topic.

It's a partisan call of where you put the line between poverty and not, and what constitutes left wing or not.

The SRP can be summed as a bunch of ideological lefties whinging about (allegedly) less intelligent righties who undeservedly accumulated wealth. The OP epitomises that sentiment. I find it off-putting tbh.

I find this thread a bit offputting too, but that's because I find poor or no education or stupidity too simple an explanation.

Intelligence cannot be the answer, because if it is then more than 80% of the world are stupid. There's something in our psychology that pushes a fear of change, and that causes us to seek out the familiar over the different, and to protect what they have instead of striving for improvement.

 

[killtaker1993]

For the same reason overweight people are most likely to be found in lower socio-economic areas. It's more convenient to be lazy and be a big fatso and eat bad food. Same with political ideology

 

[Grin]

The SRP can be summed as a bunch of ideological lefties whinging about (allegedly) less intelligent righties who undeservedly accumulated wealth. The OP epitomises that sentiment. I find it off-putting tbh.

On the contrary: In my opinion it's the intelligent righties who are undeservedly accumulating wealth. Let's call them the Palmers. The less intelligent ones are being conned.

Why do you think outrageous conspiracy theories are pushed by the Trumps of this world? Is it more likely out of beneficence or to manipulate?

 

[ElectricG]

When did the left become so contemptuous towards the working class, by the way?

 

[Gethelred]

When did the left become so contemptuous towards the working class, by the way?

Assumption without demonstration. Demonstrate that the left are contemptuous towards the working class, and we can talk.