Intelligence predicts charitable giving and voting in massive Swedish study

Intelligent individuals are more inclined to engage in socially beneficial activities such as charitable giving, voting, and purchasing eco-friendly vehicles, according to a Swedish study published in The Economic Journal. Researchers Mikael Elinder and Oscar Erixson utilized extensive Swedish administrative records to analyze the relationship between cognitive abilities and prosocial behavior.

They examined data from over 1.2 million Swedish men and around 3,000 women who underwent standardized cognitive tests during their military enlistment between 1969 and 1997. The tests evaluated logical, verbal, spatial, and technical abilities on a nine-point scale. By matching these historical scores with modern government records, the researchers found that individuals with higher cognitive scores were significantly more likely to donate to charity, vote, and own environmentally friendly cars.

For men, a one standard deviation increase in intelligence translated to a 40% greater likelihood of charitable giving, a 31% increase in voting, and a 14% rise in eco-friendly car ownership. Similar trends were observed in female participants regarding voting and charity. The study also found that logical and verbal reasoning were the strongest predictors of prosocial actions.

Twin analyses indicated that unobserved family factors, such as upbringing and shared genetics, account for some of the observed trends but do not fully explain the connection. Education, which is often influenced by intelligence, was found to be a significant factor in linking cognitive ability to civic engagement.