Bright children become enlightened adults.
We examined the prospective association between general intelligence (g) at age 10 and liberal and antitraditional social attitudes at age 30 in a large (N= 7,070), representative sample of the British population born in 1970. Statistical analyses identified a general latent trait underlying attitudes that are antiracist, pro-working women, socially liberal, and trusting in the democratic political system. There was a strong association between higher g at age 10 and more liberal and antitraditional attitudes at age 30; this association was mediated partly via educational qualifications, but not at all via occupational social class. Very similar results were obtained for men and women. People in less professional occupations-and whose parents had been in less professional occupations-were less trusting of the democratic political system. This study confirms social attitudes as a major, novel field of adult human activity that is related to childhood intelligence differences.
Deary
Ian J
IJ
Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK. i.deary@ed.ac.uk
Batty
G David
GD
Gale
Catharine R
CR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011057:Politics; D011287:Prejudice; D012923:Social Class; D012935:Social Justice; D012945:Social Values; D006113:United Kingdom