Average Americans Think They're Smarter Than the Average American

[n2doc]

Forget being smarter than a fifth-grader. Most Americans think they're smarter than everyone else in the country.

Fifty-five percent of Americans think that they are smarter than the average American, according to a new survey by YouGov, a research organization that uses online polling. In other words, as YouGov cleverly points out, the average American thinks that he or she is smarter than the average American.

A humble 34 percent of citizens say they are about as smart as everyone else, while a dispirited 4 percent say they are less intelligent than most people.

Men (24 percent) are more likely than women (15 percent) to say they are "much more intelligent" than the average American. White people are more likely to say the same than Hispanic and black people.

more

http://www.nationaljournal.com/domesticpolicy/average-americans-think-they-re-smarter-than-the-average-american-20140512

[JackRiddler]

1. The Dunning-Kruger effect.

Look it up. Basically, the less you know about something, the likelier you are to overestimate your competence at it.

[yeoman6987]

5. If I was honest, I believe I am the median

I am very average in everything I do. I am not horrified by that but just stating facts. I tell people that and they think I am higher than I give myself credit for but I think I am very average.

[rock]

31. Particularly noticeable among singers

Watch the try-outs for American Idol. The most remarkable thing about this particular example is that the huge majority of people are excellent judges of other people's singing (regardless of their own capability).

[Demit]

2. We all also think we are above average drivers.

Which is statistically impossible, but there you are.

[superstring1]

4. Which, of course, is why he posted it

nm

[Demit]

11. ??

Do you have some sort of agenda there, claiming you know the OP's motive? Or do you just like wasting people's time, responding to comments with non-substantive remarks?

[Recursion]

3. Half of Americans are smarter than the average American

Well, smarter than the median American, at least.

[VanillaRhapsody]

33. that would only be true if the IQ's were evenly distributed...

which they aren't .....there are a few VERY VERY intelligent at the top that skew the results...

[Recursion]

34. By definition half are smarter than the median

How far that is from the mean is another question (kurtosis, I think that's called? Or skew. Stats was a while ago...)

[VanillaRhapsody]

35. No not necessarily.....

there is a huge percentage in the middle yes....but those with the upper and lower are fewer and farther between....and that is why they use "percentiles"

The median income in the U.S. is $50,000 a year....it doesn't mean that there are AS MANY making more as there are making less does it?

[Recursion]

36. That's literally what median means

"Mean" means add up everybody's IQ and divide by the number of people (what people usually mean when they say "average&quot
"Median" means line up everybody in order of IQ and pick the guy in the middle of the line
"Mode" means write down everybody's IQ and pick the number that is most commonly represented

In a Gaussian distribution the three are the same, but as you pointed out IQ doesn't seem to be truly Gaussian in distribution.

[JackRiddler]

6. Given that this is online polling...

isn't the publication of the article itself an act of thinking one knows something one doesn't?

Also, what's the agenda?

[ladjf]

7. I would guess that if the polls were taken Internationally, the results would be the

same as in the U.S. It's just human nature.

[Nye Bevan]

8. It's a sad fact that a full 50% of Americans are dumber than the median (nt)

[n2doc]

10. Isn't that a bit mean?

Or are you in attack mode?

[oldhippie]

12. Facts are mean?

Who knew?

[n2doc]

16. Went right over your head, didn't it?

Median, Mean, Mode....

[oldhippie]

17. Yep!

Ouch!

[laundry_queen]

19. LOL It's okay

I'm currently taking advanced business statistics and it went right over my head too.

It's early. Need more coffee.

[pipi_k]

9. I'm one of those

unfortunate 4% who have always felt less than everyone else.

Less attractive...less competent...less intelligent


On a really good day, I'll rate myself as about average

[oldhippie]

13. That's OK, I'll make up for you .....

.... and we'll balance out!

[Fumesucker]

14. The whole damn country is Lake Wobegon

[oldhippie]

15. I wonder how many here have actually seen their IQ test results?

We took IQ tests in high school back in the 60's. The results were supposed to be a closely guarded secret, but due to a position I had in student government I had access to my academic file and those of many members of my peer group in my class. So I got to see my results and those of some of my classmates.

I don't follow these things at all. I know there is a lot of controversy about the validity of IQ tests. Do they still give them at some point in schools, and if so do the students get to see the results?

[laundry_queen]

20. I don't think they do that anymore

I know they never did when I was a kid even. And I cannot imagine that even if they still did that they would allow the students the results. I think it's pretty well understood that IQ isn't always a good predictor of how well a student may do (in school and in life).

I managed to get an IQ test done when I was in university (the first time, LOL, I was 18) and I'm in the top 2%...but I never did get to brag because my friend that I did the test with kicked my ass I don't know of anyone else who has actually had it done so I cannot compare with people I know.

[oldhippie]

24. I also think they have fallen out of favor .....

I know there was a lot of controversy about how one could even possibly measure "intelligence" without it being biased a bazillion different ways. But I suppose any number of psychologists, education majors and probably many others got to do doctoral dissertations about it and argue their cases.

I was in high school in the early 60's, right after Sputnik, and there was a big push in science and math to catch up in the space race. I was good in both, and was placed in a "special" group from Jr. high that had various names over the years but I suppose it would be called GATE or something now. We were all being groomed for science and engineering tracks. We took many tests over the Jr. high and high school years. New York State was big on tests, but I don't know which one or ones were the IQ tests. But the dozen or so scores that I saw from the kids in my group were all in the 125-150 range, which I guess was considered good. Most of us went on to engineering school, with a couple of doctors and lawyers thrown in. We will be having our 50th class reunion in a couple of years, and now we are probably all retired, LOL!

Anyways, thanks for the response, I was just curious if anyone was still doing IQ tests and if anyone places any credence in them.

[CanSocDem]

25. And then what do you do...

...with the information? Presumably, in your case you discovered that you were quite bright and grew up with that conviction. Perhaps, after leaving high school, you had enough confidence in your own perceptions that you experimented with alternate lifestyles outside the establishment and eventually became an 'old hippie/democrat/good citizen'. Just guessing here...

My point is that these good results of your discovery made you a good person. This was confirmed in a study done in the 70's where test results were switched between achievers and non-achievers without the teachers knowledge. In a short time, the perceptions of both the teacher and student reversed any pre-conceived notions of academic failure. Perception is everything.



.

[oldhippie]

27. I think that's right .....

You're right, I did leave high school thinking I was pretty smart. As I posted above, I was part of a group that was expected to go on to engineering school, and I did. I was recruited early (my student ID number in my class was 001) into one of the then best private engineering schools in New York (now Clarkson University). I had breezed through high school without working very hard, great grades, honor society, student government, Eagle Scout, etc. I thought I was pretty smart.

Then I hit engineering school and I got a rude shock. There were a whole BUNCH of smart people around. I actually had to work at it, and my grades were not great. I even ended up on academic probation a couple of times. Of the 150 EE majors that started in my freshman class, only 55 finally graduated. My rank in my class stayed pretty constant through the four years, (I graduated at # 43 out of the 55) but the bottom kept coming up and got too damn close. It was a very humbling experience.

Due to various circumstances I went into the Army in 1970 (which was pretty weird for a hippie at the time) and ended up with a very interesting and rewarding 40 year career with the military.

But I agree, perceptions are important, both your perception of yourself (which can change, as mine did) and that of the people around you. It would seem like you would want to let the smarter people know it, and not let the less smart people know they were behind the curve, so as to not discourage them. But I have no idea how that could work.

[whatthehey]

18. On an online poll this is if anything understated

While there are certainly some gruesomely dull intellects online, it's undeniably true that the lower reaches of the bell curve start getting into demographics where the ability and inclination to participate in self-selected online polls that require at least basic PC skills becomes smaller and smaller.

55% of the people with that ability and willingness probably, near certainly, ARE more intelligent than the average American, as it's very likely that the bottom 10% or so would be incapable and/or uninterested.

[FarCenter]

21. More than half the people are above average at something.

[hughee99]

22. Well, it's POSSIBLE that only just over 5% of those people are wrong.

If I recall, a few years ago there was some poll that found 18% of Americans believe the sun revolves around the earth, so this isn't all that bad.

Statistics are fun, they're even more fun when data is drawn from an online poll.

[Cyrano]

23. Im sure I are

[Shrike47]

26. I have long known that stupid people don't realize or accept their stupidity.

If they acknowledged my superiority, they'd stop arguing and do what I told them.

[Kelvin Mace]

28. My mother had me tested

[yawnmaster]

29. but that probably isn't far from the "truth"...

(assuming one can define "smart&quot .
50% of any group (even Americans) IS smarter than the average (assuming the mean is close to the median) of that group.

5% off? polling bias at the very least.

[oldhippie]

30. Is there some basis to assume ....

... that the mean is close to the median in any given group? Serious question, not snark.

[yawnmaster]

32. actually....probably not...unless more assumptions are made...

It would be good for the group to be randomly selected. (this poll group most likely is not)
It would be good for whatever is being measured to be a normal distribution (in a normal distribution the mean = median) (the poll group probably skews the distribution away from the normal).

But we can make ridiculous assumptions here because the premise is somewhat ridiculous.

does quantification of "smartness" follow a normal distribution?
one must define smartness and I think each person in a poll can have a different definition.

My dad used to say (paraphrasing), "you will always be above average at somethings and below average at others", giving me my first lesson in diversity of ability!

Well, if I limit my definition of "smartness" to those things that I feel I am smarter at, then I am probably in the upper 50% for that factor!

And if I'm right with human nature, most will use what they are good at as the gauge by which they measure, actually putting them in the top 50% for that (personal) measure. (I seem to be right in 55% of the cases at least haha)


that said...
never assume, it makes an ass of u and me.
instead always make assumptions, as there is no me to make an ass of!