L | A
By Johan Oosthuizen
This study investigates the relationship between cognitive ability and affiliation with "far right" ideologies, analysing 139 IQ samples collected from self-identified "far-right" individuals through Telegram, a known hotspot of the online "far-right," with intelligence scores derived from calculating a Full Scale IQ from various verified online IQ tests, including but not limited to RPAM (Clinical Edition).
Previous research highlights a general trend of declining intelligence with increasing "right-wing" ideological orientation, particularly among socially conservative, racist, and authoritarian individuals. However, findings from this study challenge this narrative, demonstrating an average IQ of 125.7 among far-right participants, significantly above global averages.
Demographic analysis revealed entirely negligible racial differences in IQ, which alongside an analysis of the memetics of the "far-right," suggests that high intelligence may actively predispose individuals toward "far-right" ideologies. Notable internal variation was observed, with significant differences based on sex and religion. These findings offer novel insights into the cognitive traits of the "far-right" and their potential role in shaping ideological beliefs.
Highlights
High IQ Among the "Far-Right": The "far-right" individuals had an average Full Scale IQ of 125.7 (SD = 14.1), markedly above population averages.
Contradictory to General Trends: Unlike prior findings of a negative correlation between intelligence and "right-wing" beliefs, this study found high cognitive ability among "far-right" individuals.
Minimal Racial IQ Variation: Racial background did not at all predict IQ variation within the far-right, contrary to global patterns, suggesting intelligence is a more significant driver of ideological affiliation.
Sexual and Religious Variability: Substantial variations in IQ were observed, particularly among sexes and religious subgroups, with Christian Identitarian & Kinist men scoring highest (average IQ: 140.3) and Völkisch Pagan women scoring lowest (average IQ: 114). Overall, "far-right" men had an average IQ of 126.9 (SD = 12.7), whereas "far-right" women had a substantially lower average of 117.8 (SD = 19.8 ).
Ideological Implications: Findings and memetic analyses suggest high intelligence may not only correlate with but potentially catalyse "far-right" beliefs.
Significant Internal Heterogeneity: Demographic and religious sub-groups within the"far-right" showed substantial diversity, against the common perception of a White, Christian, male "far-right".
Background & Introduction
Previous research has identified many interesting, and occasionally contradictory patterns with regard to intelligence and (specifically "right-wing") political belief/"leaning". For example (not exhaustive):
A meta-analysis of 67 studies involving 84,017 participants found an average correlation of r = -0.20 between cognitive ability and "right-wing" ideological attitudes (Emma Onraet et al.).
A study published in the journal "Intelligence" (Tobias Edwards et al.) found that, within families, intelligence was a strong predictor of "left-wing" beliefs. DNA-based polygenic IQ predictors also predict political beliefs within families, and these results imply that having a predisposition to intelligence predisposes one to hold "left-wing" beliefs.
A meta-analysis of 20 studies involving 46,246 participants found an average correlation of r = 0.07 between "conservative" economic positions and cognitive ability (Alexander Jedinger et Axel M. Burger).
A study published in the journal "Intelligence" (Noah Carl) found a correlation between increased verbal intelligence and "Republican" identification in an American context (2-5 points higher).
A study published in the journal "SageJournals" (Gordon Hodson et al.) found that in two British and American sample sets, lower general intelligence in childhood predicts greater"racism" in adulthood.
A research article published in the journal "SageJournals" (Satoshi Kanazawa) analysed the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and the General Social Surveys, showing that adolescent and adult intelligence significantly increases adult "liberalism," atheism, and men’s (but not women’s) value on sexual exclusivity.
The general trend suggests a negative correlation between cognitive ability and "right-wing" ideological attitudes, particularly those associated with "social conservatism," "authoritarianism" and "racism".
Although the impact of/link between cognitive ability/intelligence and "right-wing" ideological/political beliefs or attitudes has been thoroughly examined, there has been little to no research on its link to "extreme" or "far-right" ideologies and attitudes, although there are some broadly related examples:
A study published in 2022 by S. H. R Ramussen et al. found that increased cognitive ability was a powerful predictor for tolerance of "Neo-Nazis" and the "far-right" in two sample sets from America and Denmark.
A study published in 2021 in the journal "Terrorism and Political Violence" (Chrisster Mattson et Thomas Johansson) found that Sweden's "Neo-Nazi" movement(s) has transitioned away from their earlier, anti-intellectual "skinhead era," having become more intellectual in recent decades.
During the Nuremberg trials, IQ tests were administered by American military psychologist G. M. Gilbert on the National Socialist (Nazi) leaders who were on trial. The average IQ of the Nazi leaders tested was 128. This suggests that there may be a correlation between high intelligence/cognitive ability and "far-right" political ideologies/beliefs/attitudes/opinions.
The average of the Nazi leaders is somewhat higher than the average of political leaders overall, who usually have an IQ between 1-1.5 SD above the average of their constituents (in Western contexts, this is around 115-122).
The individual scores of the Nazi leaders, ordered from highest to lowest, are below:
1. Hjalmar Schacht: 143
2. Arthur Seyss-Inquart: 141
3. Hermann Goering: 138
4. Karl Doenitz: 138
5. Franz von Papen: 134
6. Eric Raeder: 134
7. Hans Frank: 130
8. Hans Fritsche: 130
9. Baldur von Schirach: 130
10. Joachim von Ribbentrop: 129
11. Wilhelm Keitel: 129
12. Albert Speer: 128
13. Alfred Jodl: 127
14. Alfred Rosenberg: 127
15. Constantin von Neurath: 125
16. Walther Funk: 124
17. Wilhelm Frick: 124
18. Rudolf Hess: 120
19. Fritz Sauckel: 118
20. Ernst Kaltenbrunner: 113
21. Julius Streicher: 106
The Telegram channel "Politically Incorrect Polls" (a reference to the 4chan board /pol/) asked its subscribers to provide their "IQ score". This relies upon self reporting and is therefore obviously flawed but can act as a good predictor of the distribution of far-right intelligence.
Ignoring dishonest results at either end of the polls (140-150+ and <70) an almost perfect distribution curve is observed, with the average self-reported IQ being 125.
Themes
Theme 1: The overall trend of decreasing intelligence observed in the mean of individuals who hold "right-wing" beliefs/opinions continues decreasing as one moves further "right". In this scenario, the "far-right" will broadly have an intelligence that is "inferior" relative to their respective individual averages.
Theme 2: The overall trend of decreasing intelligence observed in the mean of individuals who hold "right-wing" beliefs/opinions inverts as one moves further "right". In this scenario, the "far-right" will broadly have an intelligence that is "superior" relative to their respective individual averages.
Theme 3: The overall trend of decreasing intelligence observed in the mean of individuals who hold "right-wing" beliefs/opinions is static as one moves further "right". In this scenario, the "far-right" will broadly have an intelligence that is "typical" relative to their respective individual averages.
It is the opinion of the author that Theme 2 is more likely. This is due to a multifaceted range of factors, notably:
The sociocultural environment within "far-right" communities often emphasises a rational, data-driven approach to interpreting the world. This intellectual posture involves focusing on "objective" realities, as perceived through statistical analysis, historical patterns, and logical reasoning.
These traits are closely tied to cognitive ability, particularly in areas such as:
Analytical Thinking: Higher cognitive abilities correlate with a greater capacity for abstract reasoning and the ability to challenge mainstream narratives. This challenges the stereotype of the "far-right" as irrational or purely emotional actors.
Numerical Literacy: Many "far-right" narratives explicitly incorporate statistical reasoning, requiring familiarity with concepts such as rates, proportions, and correlations. For example, interpreting demographic data on crime rates or immigration patterns requires cognitive sophistication, even if the conclusions drawn are ideologically biased.
Pattern Recognition: High cognitive ability often involves recognising complex patterns over time, such as recurring historical themes or correlations within datasets. Whether these interpretations are accurate or ideologically skewed, the process itself requires intellectual engagement.
Memes serve as a medium for communicating and spreading ideologies, and the complexity of many "far-right" memes demonstrates cognitive engagement. Unlike many political memes designed to elicit an emotional reaction, "far-right" memes often rely on intellectual rigour to decode.
Examples and Cognitive Skills Required:
13/52 (or 12/60): This meme references FBI crime statistics showing that black people in America (roughly 13% of the U.S. population) are disproportionately represented in violent crime statistics. Understanding this meme requires:
- Knowledge of per capita analysis to contextualise population size versus crime contribution.
- Proportional reasoning to compare demographic groups fairly.
- Pattern recognition to link crime rates to perceived societal outcomes.
13/90: This meme builds on 13/52 but extends to interracial crime statistics. Interpreting this requires not only numerical reasoning but also familiarity with sources like the Bureau of Justice Statistics, requiring engagement with primary data.
109 (or 300-1000+): This meme refers to the expulsions of Jewish communities throughout history. This meme presumes historical literacy and pattern recognition. To comprehend its underlying claim (that this high amount of expulsions lays the blame upon the Jews for their hatred, rather any supposed unjust prejudice of their hosts) individuals must:
- Synthesise historical knowledge across diverse periods and regions.
- Critically analyse causal factors, even if simplistically or inaccurately framed.
- Interpret large-scale sociopolitical trends over centuries.
The Cookie Monster Analogy: This Holocaust denial meme references the logistical infeasibility of cremating Holocaust victims within the timeframe of World War II. Though the figures provided are sometimes inaccurate, grasping this requires:
- Mathematical modelling of time, resources, and logistical systems.
- Critical reasoning to evaluate historical narratives, albeit with a predetermined conclusion.
Conversely, ”leftist” memes often prioritise emotional appeals, such as solidarity, compassion, or outrage, using straightforward imagery or slogans.
In contrast, "far-right" memes necessitate a cognitive engagement level that involves deciphering statistics, understanding analogies, or synthesising historical narratives. For these memes to be as popular as they are in the “far-right”, the cognitive abilities to understand must be equally as prevalent, which leads the author to have accurately predicted Theme 2 as the most likely outcome.
Materials & Methods
Definitions:
For the purposes of this study, an individual was defined as "far-right" and fit for inclusion into the data set used for this research, if they believed that the "typical person" would classify them or their beliefs/opinions/ideology/politics as such, ignoring their own opinion on this often libellous classification, and if they identified with the "Chud" meme.
The "Chud" is a caricature of the average "4chan" user (4chan is an anonymous messaging board that had a large "far-right" presence in the past, particularly in the mid to late 2010s) that certain "far-right" individuals and groups have reclaimed in both an ironic and unironic manner. The "Chud" caricature is commonly featured with statements such as "It’s over, the West has fallen, millions must die.," "Millions, no… billions must die." and "Total Nigger/[any other group] Death.".
Identification:
139 individual IQ samples were collected from the encrypted, free-speech, messaging app "Telegram". Telegram is known to be favoured by "far-right" individuals and groups for the purposes of general, light-hearted and friendly communication, dissemination of "hate speech," "disinformation" and "conspiracy theories," as well as political or other organisation (Alexandre Bovet et Peter Grindrod).
The administrators of popular "far-right" Telegram pages and discussion groups were contacted regarding the research and asked to share a short post requesting individuals who met the aforementioned criteria to partake in the research. The data request and research information were undoubtedly spread beyond the initial groups and pages contacted by the author, as a result of the individuals subscribed to/following/members of the aforementioned groups/channels/pages sharing the posts elsewhere.
Individuals who self-identified as meeting the criteria provided were required to agree to a consent form. Thereafter they provided their sex, race, religion, and ethnicity. Political ideology was not required, as the individuals were broadly the same, though certain individuals did provide it.
Finally, they were requested to either complete and send a screenshot of their results in the Mensa IQ Challenge/Practice Test (25-35 minutes), the FSIQ Online Test (15-25 minutes) and RAVEN’S 2 Progressive Matrices Clinical Edition (40-60 minutes), the results of which would be used to calculate a Full Scale IQ score, or send a picture of their results in any physical, valid IQ test they had previously undertaken.
Individuals who simply quoted a figure without proof were ignored. Steps were taken to ensure bias did not negatively impact the data collection (see "Validity Checks").
Validity Checks
Addressing biases:
In order to ensure there was no sampling bias, individuals were encouraged to share the research data request across relevant Telegram groups. This also ensured a representative and diverse sample set. A wide variety of Telegram page administrators were initially contacted.
To ensure there was no reporting bias, especially in cases of average or below average IQ, individuals were reminded that there was nothing to be ashamed of in having an average or below average IQ, that their data was specifically necessary to ensure the sample dataset was accurate, valid and representative, and that their individual results would not be made public.
Ensuring the accuracy of the Full Scale IQ score:
To ensure that the Full Scale IQ scores calculated were accurate, individuals who reported not speaking English as a first language did not have their verbal IQ from the FSIQ Online Test considered/included in the calculation.
Validity of testing methods:
As per the creator of the Mensa IQ Challenge/Practice Test, Olav Hoel Dørum, it is valid:
"The test is normed after supervised results from Daniels Figure Reasoning Test and Ravens Progressive Matrices. The correlation between the online test and these two supervised tests are higher than between two attempts on the same test or change of test. The correlation is around .90+. It is, however, not unusual to hear claims that the test is manipulated someway, or that the scores are inflated. Some claims are based on online surveys, others by own results. Any deliberate manipulation would only hurt Mensa."
As per the host of the FSIQ Online Test, Open-Source Psychometrics Project, the test is somewhat valid on an individual level (relative to other tests such as WAIS), and strongly valid on an average level (relative to other tests such as WAIS).
RAVEN’S 2 Progressive Matrices Clinical Edition is a well-established, widely used test to assess general intelligence. It has repeatedly been found to be reliable (John Carlyle Ravenet al.) (Inês Queiroz-Garcia et al.). A small minority of individuals (those around the 150 IQ mark) reached the "ceilings" of these tests. Unfortunately, the results were not particularly valid in these cases (due to being too low). Nonetheless, they remained in the sample dataset.
Results
The average calculated Full Scale IQ of the 139 "far-right" individuals was 125.7 (125.661870504), SD 14.1 (14.0735754), supporting the author’s predictions. Figure 1.a presents a frequency bar chart, with each bar being 9 points wide. Figure 1.b presents a frequency bar chart, with each bar being 4 points wide (excluding bars "99-90" & "89-80"). Figure 2 shows a standard distribution curve made to fit the results.
Demographics and IQ:
The "far-right" encompasses a greater diversity than is commonly perceived.
Figure 3 includes the demographic makeup of the "far-right" and various sub-demographic IQ-related statistics. N/A in a demographic sub-group IQ related column indicates that sample coverage was too low to justify reporting. Figure 3.a reports the division of the sexes in the "far-right". Figure 3.b reports the racial makeup of the "far-right". Figure 3.c reports the ethnic makeup of the ("White or in combination with…" individuals "in" the) "far-right". Figure 3.d reports the religious makeup of the "far-right".
- Low coverage or potentially unrepresentative values, groups or other items are highlighted in red.
- Figure 3.c and 3.d include clusters created by the author to classify idiosyncratic submissions.
- Note for Figure 3.d: many Christians did not specify their denomination.
Discussion
The results observed are extremely interesting.
"In" the "far-right," racial background is not a predictor of variation in intelligence (White average: 125.7, Non-White average: 125.5), as it is in the world as a whole (whether these global patterns be coincidental or otherwise is irrelevant). This lack of racial difference in intelligence suggests that high intelligence is not coincidentally correlated with, but a cause of, or catalyst for "far-right" beliefs, ideologies, attitudes, political opinions, etc..
This is contrary to the trends observed in other research publications and provides an entirely novel perspective on the relationship between intelligence and political opinion. This opinion is expanded upon in "Themes".
It is commonly observed that females have a lower standard deviation (SD) in their IQ (14.085) relative to males (15.235). It is also commonly observed that males and females have an average mean IQ within 1~ point of each other (Richard Lynn et Satoshi Kanazawa).
Therefore, it comes as a surprise that, as a whole, and in many of the sub-groups examined, the female cohort consistently had a much lower IQ and much higher SD than their male counterparts (difference between the IQ average of all males and females in the dataset: 9.1, difference between SD of all men and all women in the dataset: 7.1).
A popular memetic "inside" the "far-right," a male-dominated space, is that women in these spaces are present there for the purpose of exploiting male desperation and/or "farming" male attention, lacking any true ideological conviction or knowledge.
Such a memetic is unlikely to arise out of "misogyny," if one wishes to refer to this distrust of women as such, and the preposterously high standard deviation of the female cohort may hint at the verity of this memetic, with the dataset possibly being made up of one group of ideologically convicted, "serious" women, who would be higher in intelligence as per the observed patterns in the "Results" and the explanation of "Theme 2" in "Themes," and another group of ideologically unconvicted, "unserious" women, pretending to be, or "LARPing" as "far-right," for the purpose of exploiting male desperation and/or "farming" male attention, who would be lower in intelligence as per the observed patterns in the "Results" and the explanation of "Theme 2" in "Themes".
The strongest demographic predictor for variation in intelligence among the "far-right" was not racial background, as previously discussed, nor ethnic background (albeit minor variation among the "White or in combination with…" ethnic clusters was observed), nor sex (although as previously discussed, there is substantial sexual variation), but religion.
The variation (excluding low coverage results) between the racial averages had a range of 0.2, the variation (excluding low coverage results) between the "White or in combination with…" ethnic averages had a range of 8, the variation between the sex averages had a range of 9.1, and the variation between the religious averages had a staggering range of 17.7 (over 1 SD).
The religious group with the lowest average IQ (118.7) were Völkisch Pagans (mostly Norse Pagans), with female Völkisch Pagans averaging 114. The religious group with the highest average IQ (136.4) were Christian Identitarians/Identity and Kinists ("racial/racist" Christians), with Christian Identitarian/Identity and Kinist men having an astonishingly high average of 140.3.
Religion divides the "far-right" to an equal or even greater extent than minor political/ideological differences do, with a long-standing, multiple decade-long, vicious "meme war" between "far-right" Christians and Pagans. As a result, the difference in intelligence, although stark, is not unexpected, as a result of the isolated nature (relative to each other, as contact is mostly limited to slander and conversions), varied character, and varied appeal of these two religious sub-groups of the "far-right".
Conclusions
In spite of common trends observed in generally "right-wing" individuals, the "far-right," regardless of what many individuals would consider their intellectually baseless, bigoted, unintelligent, illogical, etc. beliefs, stands out as an extremely intelligent political cluster, with this intelligence not being a mere coincidence, but potentially a cause of "far-right" beliefs, as explained in this publication. This intelligence is coupled with much internal variation, particularly in the context of sex and religion.
By Johan Oosthuizen
Declaration of Authorship
This is to declare that this research is the sole work of the author.
Declaration of Interest
This is to declare that this research has not been funded by, supported by, or undertaken under any institution, corporate body, or other interest.
Declaration of Peer Review
This is to declare that this research publication has not been peer reviewed.
Declaration of Research
This is to declare that this research is not academic, nor is it institutional. It is personal and amateur.
Declaration of Consent
This is to declare that all individuals who partook in this research gave informed consent regarding the use and publication of their data as it has been used and published in this research publication.
Declaration of Copyright
This is to declare that the figures in this research publication are free to use and are in the public domain. Attribution is unnecessary in non-research or less "formal" contexts, but is appreciated.
Declaration of Liability
This is to declare that the author of this study accepts no liability for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies in the information, results, methods or otherwise of this research.
Declaration of Risk
This is to declare that the information provided is done so without warranty and viewers/users assume all risks.
Declaration of Bias
This is to declare that work has been done to ensure that biases, whether they be related to sampling, religion, politics, race, etc. were mitigated and eliminated from this research, but it must be stated that the author cannot confirm the extent nor the effectiveness of these efforts, and accepts no liability in the unlikely case that they have been ineffective.
This is to declare that this research is the sole work of the author.
Declaration of Interest
This is to declare that this research has not been funded by, supported by, or undertaken under any institution, corporate body, or other interest.
Declaration of Peer Review
This is to declare that this research publication has not been peer reviewed.
Declaration of Research
This is to declare that this research is not academic, nor is it institutional. It is personal and amateur.
Declaration of Consent
This is to declare that all individuals who partook in this research gave informed consent regarding the use and publication of their data as it has been used and published in this research publication.
Declaration of Copyright
This is to declare that the figures in this research publication are free to use and are in the public domain. Attribution is unnecessary in non-research or less "formal" contexts, but is appreciated.
Declaration of Liability
This is to declare that the author of this study accepts no liability for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies in the information, results, methods or otherwise of this research.
Declaration of Risk
This is to declare that the information provided is done so without warranty and viewers/users assume all risks.
Declaration of Bias
This is to declare that work has been done to ensure that biases, whether they be related to sampling, religion, politics, race, etc. were mitigated and eliminated from this research, but it must be stated that the author cannot confirm the extent nor the effectiveness of these efforts, and accepts no liability in the unlikely case that they have been ineffective.
This study investigates the relationship between cognitive ability and affiliation with "far right" ideologies, analysing 139 IQ samples collected from self-identified "far-right" individuals through Telegram, a known hotspot of the online "far-right," with intelligence scores derived from calculating a Full Scale IQ from various verified online IQ tests, including but not limited to RPAM (Clinical Edition).
Previous research highlights a general trend of declining intelligence with increasing "right-wing" ideological orientation, particularly among socially conservative, racist, and authoritarian individuals. However, findings from this study challenge this narrative, demonstrating an average IQ of 125.7 among far-right participants, significantly above global averages.
Demographic analysis revealed entirely negligible racial differences in IQ, which alongside an analysis of the memetics of the "far-right," suggests that high intelligence may actively predispose individuals toward "far-right" ideologies. Notable internal variation was observed, with significant differences based on sex and religion. These findings offer novel insights into the cognitive traits of the "far-right" and their potential role in shaping ideological beliefs.
Highlights
High IQ Among the "Far-Right": The "far-right" individuals had an average Full Scale IQ of 125.7 (SD = 14.1), markedly above population averages.
Contradictory to General Trends: Unlike prior findings of a negative correlation between intelligence and "right-wing" beliefs, this study found high cognitive ability among "far-right" individuals.
Minimal Racial IQ Variation: Racial background did not at all predict IQ variation within the far-right, contrary to global patterns, suggesting intelligence is a more significant driver of ideological affiliation.
Sexual and Religious Variability: Substantial variations in IQ were observed, particularly among sexes and religious subgroups, with Christian Identitarian & Kinist men scoring highest (average IQ: 140.3) and Völkisch Pagan women scoring lowest (average IQ: 114). Overall, "far-right" men had an average IQ of 126.9 (SD = 12.7), whereas "far-right" women had a substantially lower average of 117.8 (SD = 19.8 ).
Ideological Implications: Findings and memetic analyses suggest high intelligence may not only correlate with but potentially catalyse "far-right" beliefs.
Significant Internal Heterogeneity: Demographic and religious sub-groups within the"far-right" showed substantial diversity, against the common perception of a White, Christian, male "far-right".
Background & Introduction
Previous research has identified many interesting, and occasionally contradictory patterns with regard to intelligence and (specifically "right-wing") political belief/"leaning". For example (not exhaustive):
A meta-analysis of 67 studies involving 84,017 participants found an average correlation of r = -0.20 between cognitive ability and "right-wing" ideological attitudes (Emma Onraet et al.).
A study published in the journal "Intelligence" (Tobias Edwards et al.) found that, within families, intelligence was a strong predictor of "left-wing" beliefs. DNA-based polygenic IQ predictors also predict political beliefs within families, and these results imply that having a predisposition to intelligence predisposes one to hold "left-wing" beliefs.
A meta-analysis of 20 studies involving 46,246 participants found an average correlation of r = 0.07 between "conservative" economic positions and cognitive ability (Alexander Jedinger et Axel M. Burger).
A study published in the journal "Intelligence" (Noah Carl) found a correlation between increased verbal intelligence and "Republican" identification in an American context (2-5 points higher).
A study published in the journal "SageJournals" (Gordon Hodson et al.) found that in two British and American sample sets, lower general intelligence in childhood predicts greater"racism" in adulthood.
A research article published in the journal "SageJournals" (Satoshi Kanazawa) analysed the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and the General Social Surveys, showing that adolescent and adult intelligence significantly increases adult "liberalism," atheism, and men’s (but not women’s) value on sexual exclusivity.
The general trend suggests a negative correlation between cognitive ability and "right-wing" ideological attitudes, particularly those associated with "social conservatism," "authoritarianism" and "racism".
Although the impact of/link between cognitive ability/intelligence and "right-wing" ideological/political beliefs or attitudes has been thoroughly examined, there has been little to no research on its link to "extreme" or "far-right" ideologies and attitudes, although there are some broadly related examples:
A study published in 2022 by S. H. R Ramussen et al. found that increased cognitive ability was a powerful predictor for tolerance of "Neo-Nazis" and the "far-right" in two sample sets from America and Denmark.
A study published in 2021 in the journal "Terrorism and Political Violence" (Chrisster Mattson et Thomas Johansson) found that Sweden's "Neo-Nazi" movement(s) has transitioned away from their earlier, anti-intellectual "skinhead era," having become more intellectual in recent decades.
During the Nuremberg trials, IQ tests were administered by American military psychologist G. M. Gilbert on the National Socialist (Nazi) leaders who were on trial. The average IQ of the Nazi leaders tested was 128. This suggests that there may be a correlation between high intelligence/cognitive ability and "far-right" political ideologies/beliefs/attitudes/opinions.
The average of the Nazi leaders is somewhat higher than the average of political leaders overall, who usually have an IQ between 1-1.5 SD above the average of their constituents (in Western contexts, this is around 115-122).
The individual scores of the Nazi leaders, ordered from highest to lowest, are below:
1. Hjalmar Schacht: 143
2. Arthur Seyss-Inquart: 141
3. Hermann Goering: 138
4. Karl Doenitz: 138
5. Franz von Papen: 134
6. Eric Raeder: 134
7. Hans Frank: 130
8. Hans Fritsche: 130
9. Baldur von Schirach: 130
10. Joachim von Ribbentrop: 129
11. Wilhelm Keitel: 129
12. Albert Speer: 128
13. Alfred Jodl: 127
14. Alfred Rosenberg: 127
15. Constantin von Neurath: 125
16. Walther Funk: 124
17. Wilhelm Frick: 124
18. Rudolf Hess: 120
19. Fritz Sauckel: 118
20. Ernst Kaltenbrunner: 113
21. Julius Streicher: 106
The Telegram channel "Politically Incorrect Polls" (a reference to the 4chan board /pol/) asked its subscribers to provide their "IQ score". This relies upon self reporting and is therefore obviously flawed but can act as a good predictor of the distribution of far-right intelligence.
Ignoring dishonest results at either end of the polls (140-150+ and <70) an almost perfect distribution curve is observed, with the average self-reported IQ being 125.
Themes
Theme 1: The overall trend of decreasing intelligence observed in the mean of individuals who hold "right-wing" beliefs/opinions continues decreasing as one moves further "right". In this scenario, the "far-right" will broadly have an intelligence that is "inferior" relative to their respective individual averages.
Theme 2: The overall trend of decreasing intelligence observed in the mean of individuals who hold "right-wing" beliefs/opinions inverts as one moves further "right". In this scenario, the "far-right" will broadly have an intelligence that is "superior" relative to their respective individual averages.
Theme 3: The overall trend of decreasing intelligence observed in the mean of individuals who hold "right-wing" beliefs/opinions is static as one moves further "right". In this scenario, the "far-right" will broadly have an intelligence that is "typical" relative to their respective individual averages.
It is the opinion of the author that Theme 2 is more likely. This is due to a multifaceted range of factors, notably:
The sociocultural environment within "far-right" communities often emphasises a rational, data-driven approach to interpreting the world. This intellectual posture involves focusing on "objective" realities, as perceived through statistical analysis, historical patterns, and logical reasoning.
These traits are closely tied to cognitive ability, particularly in areas such as:
Analytical Thinking: Higher cognitive abilities correlate with a greater capacity for abstract reasoning and the ability to challenge mainstream narratives. This challenges the stereotype of the "far-right" as irrational or purely emotional actors.
Numerical Literacy: Many "far-right" narratives explicitly incorporate statistical reasoning, requiring familiarity with concepts such as rates, proportions, and correlations. For example, interpreting demographic data on crime rates or immigration patterns requires cognitive sophistication, even if the conclusions drawn are ideologically biased.
Pattern Recognition: High cognitive ability often involves recognising complex patterns over time, such as recurring historical themes or correlations within datasets. Whether these interpretations are accurate or ideologically skewed, the process itself requires intellectual engagement.
Memes serve as a medium for communicating and spreading ideologies, and the complexity of many "far-right" memes demonstrates cognitive engagement. Unlike many political memes designed to elicit an emotional reaction, "far-right" memes often rely on intellectual rigour to decode.
Examples and Cognitive Skills Required:
13/52 (or 12/60): This meme references FBI crime statistics showing that black people in America (roughly 13% of the U.S. population) are disproportionately represented in violent crime statistics. Understanding this meme requires:
- Knowledge of per capita analysis to contextualise population size versus crime contribution.
- Proportional reasoning to compare demographic groups fairly.
- Pattern recognition to link crime rates to perceived societal outcomes.
13/90: This meme builds on 13/52 but extends to interracial crime statistics. Interpreting this requires not only numerical reasoning but also familiarity with sources like the Bureau of Justice Statistics, requiring engagement with primary data.
109 (or 300-1000+): This meme refers to the expulsions of Jewish communities throughout history. This meme presumes historical literacy and pattern recognition. To comprehend its underlying claim (that this high amount of expulsions lays the blame upon the Jews for their hatred, rather any supposed unjust prejudice of their hosts) individuals must:
- Synthesise historical knowledge across diverse periods and regions.
- Critically analyse causal factors, even if simplistically or inaccurately framed.
- Interpret large-scale sociopolitical trends over centuries.
The Cookie Monster Analogy: This Holocaust denial meme references the logistical infeasibility of cremating Holocaust victims within the timeframe of World War II. Though the figures provided are sometimes inaccurate, grasping this requires:
- Mathematical modelling of time, resources, and logistical systems.
- Critical reasoning to evaluate historical narratives, albeit with a predetermined conclusion.
Conversely, ”leftist” memes often prioritise emotional appeals, such as solidarity, compassion, or outrage, using straightforward imagery or slogans.
In contrast, "far-right" memes necessitate a cognitive engagement level that involves deciphering statistics, understanding analogies, or synthesising historical narratives. For these memes to be as popular as they are in the “far-right”, the cognitive abilities to understand must be equally as prevalent, which leads the author to have accurately predicted Theme 2 as the most likely outcome.
Materials & Methods
Definitions:
For the purposes of this study, an individual was defined as "far-right" and fit for inclusion into the data set used for this research, if they believed that the "typical person" would classify them or their beliefs/opinions/ideology/politics as such, ignoring their own opinion on this often libellous classification, and if they identified with the "Chud" meme.
The "Chud" is a caricature of the average "4chan" user (4chan is an anonymous messaging board that had a large "far-right" presence in the past, particularly in the mid to late 2010s) that certain "far-right" individuals and groups have reclaimed in both an ironic and unironic manner. The "Chud" caricature is commonly featured with statements such as "It’s over, the West has fallen, millions must die.," "Millions, no… billions must die." and "Total Nigger/[any other group] Death.".
Identification:
139 individual IQ samples were collected from the encrypted, free-speech, messaging app "Telegram". Telegram is known to be favoured by "far-right" individuals and groups for the purposes of general, light-hearted and friendly communication, dissemination of "hate speech," "disinformation" and "conspiracy theories," as well as political or other organisation (Alexandre Bovet et Peter Grindrod).
The administrators of popular "far-right" Telegram pages and discussion groups were contacted regarding the research and asked to share a short post requesting individuals who met the aforementioned criteria to partake in the research. The data request and research information were undoubtedly spread beyond the initial groups and pages contacted by the author, as a result of the individuals subscribed to/following/members of the aforementioned groups/channels/pages sharing the posts elsewhere.
Individuals who self-identified as meeting the criteria provided were required to agree to a consent form. Thereafter they provided their sex, race, religion, and ethnicity. Political ideology was not required, as the individuals were broadly the same, though certain individuals did provide it.
Finally, they were requested to either complete and send a screenshot of their results in the Mensa IQ Challenge/Practice Test (25-35 minutes), the FSIQ Online Test (15-25 minutes) and RAVEN’S 2 Progressive Matrices Clinical Edition (40-60 minutes), the results of which would be used to calculate a Full Scale IQ score, or send a picture of their results in any physical, valid IQ test they had previously undertaken.
Individuals who simply quoted a figure without proof were ignored. Steps were taken to ensure bias did not negatively impact the data collection (see "Validity Checks").
Validity Checks
Addressing biases:
In order to ensure there was no sampling bias, individuals were encouraged to share the research data request across relevant Telegram groups. This also ensured a representative and diverse sample set. A wide variety of Telegram page administrators were initially contacted.
To ensure there was no reporting bias, especially in cases of average or below average IQ, individuals were reminded that there was nothing to be ashamed of in having an average or below average IQ, that their data was specifically necessary to ensure the sample dataset was accurate, valid and representative, and that their individual results would not be made public.
Ensuring the accuracy of the Full Scale IQ score:
To ensure that the Full Scale IQ scores calculated were accurate, individuals who reported not speaking English as a first language did not have their verbal IQ from the FSIQ Online Test considered/included in the calculation.
Validity of testing methods:
As per the creator of the Mensa IQ Challenge/Practice Test, Olav Hoel Dørum, it is valid:
"The test is normed after supervised results from Daniels Figure Reasoning Test and Ravens Progressive Matrices. The correlation between the online test and these two supervised tests are higher than between two attempts on the same test or change of test. The correlation is around .90+. It is, however, not unusual to hear claims that the test is manipulated someway, or that the scores are inflated. Some claims are based on online surveys, others by own results. Any deliberate manipulation would only hurt Mensa."
As per the host of the FSIQ Online Test, Open-Source Psychometrics Project, the test is somewhat valid on an individual level (relative to other tests such as WAIS), and strongly valid on an average level (relative to other tests such as WAIS).
RAVEN’S 2 Progressive Matrices Clinical Edition is a well-established, widely used test to assess general intelligence. It has repeatedly been found to be reliable (John Carlyle Ravenet al.) (Inês Queiroz-Garcia et al.). A small minority of individuals (those around the 150 IQ mark) reached the "ceilings" of these tests. Unfortunately, the results were not particularly valid in these cases (due to being too low). Nonetheless, they remained in the sample dataset.
Results
The average calculated Full Scale IQ of the 139 "far-right" individuals was 125.7 (125.661870504), SD 14.1 (14.0735754), supporting the author’s predictions. Figure 1.a presents a frequency bar chart, with each bar being 9 points wide. Figure 1.b presents a frequency bar chart, with each bar being 4 points wide (excluding bars "99-90" & "89-80"). Figure 2 shows a standard distribution curve made to fit the results.
Demographics and IQ:
The "far-right" encompasses a greater diversity than is commonly perceived.
Figure 3 includes the demographic makeup of the "far-right" and various sub-demographic IQ-related statistics. N/A in a demographic sub-group IQ related column indicates that sample coverage was too low to justify reporting. Figure 3.a reports the division of the sexes in the "far-right". Figure 3.b reports the racial makeup of the "far-right". Figure 3.c reports the ethnic makeup of the ("White or in combination with…" individuals "in" the) "far-right". Figure 3.d reports the religious makeup of the "far-right".
- Low coverage or potentially unrepresentative values, groups or other items are highlighted in red.
- Figure 3.c and 3.d include clusters created by the author to classify idiosyncratic submissions.
- Note for Figure 3.d: many Christians did not specify their denomination.
Discussion
The results observed are extremely interesting.
"In" the "far-right," racial background is not a predictor of variation in intelligence (White average: 125.7, Non-White average: 125.5), as it is in the world as a whole (whether these global patterns be coincidental or otherwise is irrelevant). This lack of racial difference in intelligence suggests that high intelligence is not coincidentally correlated with, but a cause of, or catalyst for "far-right" beliefs, ideologies, attitudes, political opinions, etc..
This is contrary to the trends observed in other research publications and provides an entirely novel perspective on the relationship between intelligence and political opinion. This opinion is expanded upon in "Themes".
It is commonly observed that females have a lower standard deviation (SD) in their IQ (14.085) relative to males (15.235). It is also commonly observed that males and females have an average mean IQ within 1~ point of each other (Richard Lynn et Satoshi Kanazawa).
Therefore, it comes as a surprise that, as a whole, and in many of the sub-groups examined, the female cohort consistently had a much lower IQ and much higher SD than their male counterparts (difference between the IQ average of all males and females in the dataset: 9.1, difference between SD of all men and all women in the dataset: 7.1).
A popular memetic "inside" the "far-right," a male-dominated space, is that women in these spaces are present there for the purpose of exploiting male desperation and/or "farming" male attention, lacking any true ideological conviction or knowledge.
Such a memetic is unlikely to arise out of "misogyny," if one wishes to refer to this distrust of women as such, and the preposterously high standard deviation of the female cohort may hint at the verity of this memetic, with the dataset possibly being made up of one group of ideologically convicted, "serious" women, who would be higher in intelligence as per the observed patterns in the "Results" and the explanation of "Theme 2" in "Themes," and another group of ideologically unconvicted, "unserious" women, pretending to be, or "LARPing" as "far-right," for the purpose of exploiting male desperation and/or "farming" male attention, who would be lower in intelligence as per the observed patterns in the "Results" and the explanation of "Theme 2" in "Themes".
The strongest demographic predictor for variation in intelligence among the "far-right" was not racial background, as previously discussed, nor ethnic background (albeit minor variation among the "White or in combination with…" ethnic clusters was observed), nor sex (although as previously discussed, there is substantial sexual variation), but religion.
The variation (excluding low coverage results) between the racial averages had a range of 0.2, the variation (excluding low coverage results) between the "White or in combination with…" ethnic averages had a range of 8, the variation between the sex averages had a range of 9.1, and the variation between the religious averages had a staggering range of 17.7 (over 1 SD).
The religious group with the lowest average IQ (118.7) were Völkisch Pagans (mostly Norse Pagans), with female Völkisch Pagans averaging 114. The religious group with the highest average IQ (136.4) were Christian Identitarians/Identity and Kinists ("racial/racist" Christians), with Christian Identitarian/Identity and Kinist men having an astonishingly high average of 140.3.
Religion divides the "far-right" to an equal or even greater extent than minor political/ideological differences do, with a long-standing, multiple decade-long, vicious "meme war" between "far-right" Christians and Pagans. As a result, the difference in intelligence, although stark, is not unexpected, as a result of the isolated nature (relative to each other, as contact is mostly limited to slander and conversions), varied character, and varied appeal of these two religious sub-groups of the "far-right".
Conclusions
In spite of common trends observed in generally "right-wing" individuals, the "far-right," regardless of what many individuals would consider their intellectually baseless, bigoted, unintelligent, illogical, etc. beliefs, stands out as an extremely intelligent political cluster, with this intelligence not being a mere coincidence, but potentially a cause of "far-right" beliefs, as explained in this publication. This intelligence is coupled with much internal variation, particularly in the context of sex and religion.
1. Onraet, Emma & Van Hiel, Alain & Dhont, Kristof & Hodson, Gordon & Schittekatte, Mark & De Pauw, Sarah. (2015). The Association of Cognitive Ability with Right–Wing Ideological Attitudes and Prejudice: A Meta–Analytic Review. European Journal of Personality. 29. n/a-n/a. 10.1002/per.2027.
2. Tobias Edwards, Alexandros Giannelis, Emily A. Willoughby, James J. Lee, Predicting political beliefs with polygenic scores for cognitive performance and educational attainment, Intelligence, Volume 104, 2024, 101831, ISSN 0160-2896, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2024.101831.
3. Jedinger, A., & Burger, A. M. (2022). Do Smarter People Have More Conservative Economic Attitudes? Assessing the Relationship Between Cognitive Ability and Economic Ideology. Personality & social psychology bulletin, 48(11), 1548–1565. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672211046808.
4. Noah Carl, Verbal intelligence is correlated with socially and economically liberal beliefs, Intelligence, Volume 44, 2014, Pages 142-148, ISSN 0160-2896, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2014.03.005.5. Hodson, G., & Busseri, M. A. (2012). Bright Minds and Dark Attitudes: Lower Cognitive Ability Predicts Greater Prejudice Through Right-Wing Ideology and Low Intergroup Contact. Psychological Science, 23(2), 187-19
5. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797611421206.
6. Kanazawa, S. (2010). Why Liberals and Atheists Are More Intelligent. Social Psychology Quarterly, 73(1), 33-57.
7. Rasmussen SHR, Ludeke S. Cognitive ability is a powerful predictor of political tolerance. J Pers. 2022 Jun;90(3):311-323. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12667. Epub 2021 Aug 28. PMID: 34386982.
8. https://history.info/on-this-day/1945-what-iq-did-the-nazi-leaders-have/
9. https://t.me/incorrectpolls/1768
10. https://www.adl.org/resources/hate-symbol/1352-1390
11. https://www.adl.org/resources/hate-symbol/109110
12. https://x.com/StopAntisemites/status/1597269242029559809
13. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/chudjak
14. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/chud
15. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/tnd-kill-behead-roundhouse
16. Bovet A, Grindrod P. Organization and evolution of the UK far-right network on Telegram. Appl Netw Sci. 2022;7(1):76. doi: 10.1007/s41109-022-00513-8. Epub 2022 Nov PMID: 36408456; PMCID: PMC9667007.
17. https://www.mensa.org/mensa-iq-challenge/
18. https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/FSIQ/
19. https://ravens-2-progressive-matrices-clinical-edition.netlify.app/
20. https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/FSIQ/results.php
21. Queiroz-Garcia, I., Espirito Santo, H., & Pires, C. (2021). Propriedades psicométricas da forma geral das Matrizes Progressivas de Raven numa amostra portuguesa. Revista Portuguesa De Investigação Comportamental E Social, 7(1), 84–101. https://doi.org/10.31211/rpics.2021.7.1.210.
22. https://www.worlddata.info/iq-by-country.php
23. https://personal.lse.ac.uk/kanazawa/pdfs/PAID2011.pdf
2. Tobias Edwards, Alexandros Giannelis, Emily A. Willoughby, James J. Lee, Predicting political beliefs with polygenic scores for cognitive performance and educational attainment, Intelligence, Volume 104, 2024, 101831, ISSN 0160-2896, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2024.101831.
3. Jedinger, A., & Burger, A. M. (2022). Do Smarter People Have More Conservative Economic Attitudes? Assessing the Relationship Between Cognitive Ability and Economic Ideology. Personality & social psychology bulletin, 48(11), 1548–1565. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672211046808.
4. Noah Carl, Verbal intelligence is correlated with socially and economically liberal beliefs, Intelligence, Volume 44, 2014, Pages 142-148, ISSN 0160-2896, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2014.03.005.5. Hodson, G., & Busseri, M. A. (2012). Bright Minds and Dark Attitudes: Lower Cognitive Ability Predicts Greater Prejudice Through Right-Wing Ideology and Low Intergroup Contact. Psychological Science, 23(2), 187-19
5. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797611421206.
6. Kanazawa, S. (2010). Why Liberals and Atheists Are More Intelligent. Social Psychology Quarterly, 73(1), 33-57.
7. Rasmussen SHR, Ludeke S. Cognitive ability is a powerful predictor of political tolerance. J Pers. 2022 Jun;90(3):311-323. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12667. Epub 2021 Aug 28. PMID: 34386982.
8. https://history.info/on-this-day/1945-what-iq-did-the-nazi-leaders-have/
9. https://t.me/incorrectpolls/1768
10. https://www.adl.org/resources/hate-symbol/1352-1390
11. https://www.adl.org/resources/hate-symbol/109110
12. https://x.com/StopAntisemites/status/1597269242029559809
13. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/chudjak
14. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/chud
15. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/tnd-kill-behead-roundhouse
16. Bovet A, Grindrod P. Organization and evolution of the UK far-right network on Telegram. Appl Netw Sci. 2022;7(1):76. doi: 10.1007/s41109-022-00513-8. Epub 2022 Nov PMID: 36408456; PMCID: PMC9667007.
17. https://www.mensa.org/mensa-iq-challenge/
18. https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/FSIQ/
19. https://ravens-2-progressive-matrices-clinical-edition.netlify.app/
20. https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/FSIQ/results.php
21. Queiroz-Garcia, I., Espirito Santo, H., & Pires, C. (2021). Propriedades psicométricas da forma geral das Matrizes Progressivas de Raven numa amostra portuguesa. Revista Portuguesa De Investigação Comportamental E Social, 7(1), 84–101. https://doi.org/10.31211/rpics.2021.7.1.210.
22. https://www.worlddata.info/iq-by-country.php
23. https://personal.lse.ac.uk/kanazawa/pdfs/PAID2011.pdf
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