Education and political affiliation

mheisig · 09-12-2008, 01:15 PM

This might be more useful:

Gallup Poll: Education, Race, Income and Political Affiliation

Pretty much split down the middle on education until you get to post-graduate where Obama has a 13 point advantage.

I think that raises an interesting "chicken or egg" question. Do those with post-grad degrees favor Obama because they're more intelligent and more intelligent people just favor Obama? Do the universities tend toward a Democrat position because they're more intelligent, or are they a product of a largely Democratic/liberal university system and the system attracts its own? Essentially are the universities predominantly Democratic and therefore the people who thrive in that environment (i.e. go on to obtain a post-grad degree) tend to be Democrats also?

Obviously each side would like to claim one position or the other. I think simply looking at the poll and concluding that "Smarter people favor Obama" is an oversimplification - it deserves some more thought.

View Poll Results: Your level of education and political affiliation?
Republican - PhD	1	2.08%
Republican - Master's degree	4	8.33%
Republican - Bachelor's degree	8	16.67%
Republican - some college or none	4	8.33%
Democrat - PhD	1	2.08%
Democrat - Master's degree	2	4.17%
Democrat - Bachelor's degree	7	14.58%
Democrat - some college or none	4	8.33%
Independent - PhD	0	0%
Independent - Master's degree	5	10.42%
Independent - Bachelor's degree	6	12.50%
Independent - some college or none	6	12.50%
Voters: 48. You may not vote on this poll

09-12-2008, 01:15 PM	#16
mheisig The Starter Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: The Southeast Age: 41 Posts: 2,119	Re: Education and political affiliation This might be more useful: Gallup Poll: Education, Race, Income and Political Affiliation Pretty much split down the middle on education until you get to post-graduate where Obama has a 13 point advantage. I think that raises an interesting "chicken or egg" question. Do those with post-grad degrees favor Obama because they're more intelligent and more intelligent people just favor Obama? Do the universities tend toward a Democrat position because they're more intelligent, or are they a product of a largely Democratic/liberal university system and the system attracts its own? Essentially are the universities predominantly Democratic and therefore the people who thrive in that environment (i.e. go on to obtain a post-grad degree) tend to be Democrats also? Obviously each side would like to claim one position or the other. I think simply looking at the poll and concluding that "Smarter people favor Obama" is an oversimplification - it deserves some more thought. __________________ Your post count, reputation score, popularity ranking, VIP tag or funny signature has no bearing on how I value you as an individual.

Education and political affiliation

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