New evidence for differences in fluid intelligence between north and south Italy and against school resources as an explanation for the north–south IQ differential

Abstract

The north–south difference in Italy in PISA 2006 scores in reading comprehension, mathematical and science abilities of 15-year-olds has been attributed by Lynn (2010a) to a difference of approximately 10 IQ points in intelligence and by critics to differences in educational resources. New evidence for differences between north and south Italy in the PISA 2012 Creative Problem Solving test as a measure of fluid intelligence shows a 9.2 IQ point between the north–west and the south and confirms Lynn's theory. New data are presented for genetic differences between the populations of north and south Italy.