Demographic Change and Social Breakdown: The Role of Intelligence

Abstract

It is proposed that populations and races with a high mean general intelligence are less likely to participate in violent crime than those with low mean general intelligence. The current study determined the correlation between racial composition and cognitive ability, as measured by Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, of college bound high school students of the fifty States and District of Columbia. Also, the relationship between percent racial composition and rate of violent crime was examined. An overall negative correlation was found between violent crime and intelligence. Furthermore, unique racial correlates between crime and intelligence were observed. There was a positive correlation between percentage of blacks and rate of crime and a negative correlation between percentage of blacks and SAT scores. In contrast, a positive correlation was observed between percentage of whites and SAT scores and a negative correlation between percentage of whites and crime. A negative correlation was observed between percentage of Asians and SAT scores and rate of crime. These findings suggest that intelligence and race underlie violent criminal behavior. Areas of the United States with a high concentration of blacks and almost devoid of whites tend to have high rates of violent crime. Asian immigrants from countries other than China and Japan appear to be decreasing the traditional East Asian dominance in scholarship. Socialization to an American culture that emphasizes individualism and materialism is having a negative effect on social behavior on all American racial groups, both immigrant and native.