Survey Says: Liberals Stingier, Stupider Than Conservatives

[Kris Jansen]

We�re all familiar with the mainstream media and popular culture myth:
conservatives are stingy, ignorant knuckle-draggers, whereas liberals are
enlightened societal benefactors.

Now, we have yet another survey demonstrating the cold reality that the
opposite is true.

Several months ago, we noted an independent Pew Research survey released
October 14, 2009 entitled �What Does the Public Know?� Included in that
study was a section labeled �Partisan Knowledge Gap,� which asked a series
of twelve knowledge questions and compared the scores of Republicans,
Democrats and Independents. The questions centered on such matters as
identifying the current Federal Reserve Chairman, the current unemployment
rate and the issue to which �cap and trade� relates.

The startling Pew survey results would surely trigger a terrified
expression even on the Botoxed faces of Senator John Kerry or actress
Julia Roberts, who once stated that, ��Republican� comes in the dictionary
just after �reptile� and just above �repugnant.��

Republicans outscored Democrats on fully ten of the twelve Pew questions,
with one tie. On only one question of twelve did Democrats outscore
Republicans, and even then only by a 67% to 62% margin. (For the record,
Republicans also outscored Independents on six of twelve questions, with
one tie and five on which Independents outperformed Republicans.)

Unsurprisingly, Pew attempted to sugarcoat the lopsided results under the
phrase �no partisan differences on knowledge of health reform, but Reps
more aware in other areas.� They wouldn�t want to offend Brian Williams
or Katie Couric, you know.

This week, we received confirmation that the Pew survey results were no
anomaly.

In a June 8 Wall Street Journal commentary entitled �Are You Smarter than
a Fifth Grader?,� George Mason University economics professor Daniel B.
Klein bluntly states, �according to a Zogby International survey that I
write about in the May issue of Econ Journal Watch, the answer is
unequivocal: The left flunks Econ 101.�

Professor Klein, along with Zogby researcher Zeljka Buturovic, surveyed
4,835 American adults on eight questions covering fundamental economic
principles. Those questions covered such issues as the impact of
construction restrictions on housing prices, changes in the standard of
living over the past thirty years, the impact of free trade on employment
and what defines a �monopoly.� For purposes of ideological
classification, respondents were divided into six categories: very
conservative, conservative, libertarian, moderate, liberal or
progressive/very liberal.

To be charitable, Klein and Buturovic even decided to grade only against
flatly incorrect answers. Thus, �not sure� responses for those who
considered the questions ambiguous or arguable were not penalized for
their ambivalent responses.

The results might again come as a shock to anyone confined to mainstream
media sources, but they shouldn�t surprise those of us who actually pay
attention. Those identified as �very conservative� averaged 1.30
incorrect responses, �libertarians� were incorrect on 1.38 and
�conservatives� averaged 1.67. In sharp contrast, �moderates� were
incorrect on an average of 3.67 questions, �liberals� incorrect on 4.69
and �progressive/very liberal� respondents were incorrect on 5.26 of 8
questions.

As succinctly summarized by Professor Klein, �Americans in the first three
categories do reasonably well, but the left has trouble squaring economic
thinking with their political psychology, morals and aesthetics.�

Klein and Buturovic also divided respondents by political party
affiliation, and the results matched the Pew survey from October.
According to Klein, �those responding Democratic averaged 4.59 incorrect
answers. Republicans averaged 1.61 incorrect, and Libertarians 1.26
incorrect.�

So conservatives are more informed than liberals, but aren�t liberals
still kinder than conservatives?

Again, no.

In May 2008, a Gallup poll of 1,200 Americans confirmed once again that
those who self-identify as �conservative� or �very conservative�
contributed 56% of total charitable donations, despite constituting only
42% of the population. Those who self-identified as �liberal� or �very
liberal,� in contrast, constituted 29% of the population but made only 7%
of donations. Notably, these results were independent of income level and
religious affiliation, as those placing themselves on the right of the
political spectrum donated a higher percentage of their income than those
on the left.

Distorted stereotypes die hard, but the word is getting out:
conservatives are more informed and more charitable.

Somebody sneak that into Obama�s teleprompter feed.

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says-liberals-stingier-stupider-than-conservatives

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