Comments:  The data charted above, which began circulating on the Internet shortly after the U.S. presidential election of 2004, would appear to confirm an elitist supposition held by some on the left — namely that Bush supporters are dumber than Kerry supporters.

There's just one problem: the numbers in the "Average IQ" column were fabricated. No such data exists.

As it happens, the same figures were bandied about earlier that year in reference to 2000's Bush/Gore election, and discredited in short order. Then, as now, it was claimed that the numbers purporting to represent average IQ by state came from a book entitled "IQ and the Wealth of Nations." However, one of its authors, Richard Lynn, stated that the book contains no such data.

It also bears pointing out that three states switched their electoral preference from one party to the other between 2000 and 2004, with no corresponding change in the alleged IQ of the populace.

Lastly, the hoax is reminiscent of a widely circulated email dating from 2001 which claimed, on the basis of phony documentation, that G.W. Bush has the lowest IQ of any modern president.

Sources and further reading:

Internet Hoax Tricks Mainstream Major: Not So Smart After All
National Business Review (New Zealand)

Bush Voters Have Lower IQs
Museum of Hoaxes

Vote Summary: Presidential Election of 2004
Infoplease.com

Last updated: 11/09/05