Mankind
Quarterly, Vol. 42, No. 3 (Spring 2002)
pp. 267-282
Demographic Change and Social
Breakdown: The Role of Intelligence.
Aldric Hama
It is proposed that populations and races with a
high mean general intelligence are less likely to
participate in violent crime than those with low mean
general intelligence. The current study determined
the correlation between racial composition and cognitive
ability, as measured by Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
scores, of college bound high school students of the
fifty States and District of Columbia. Also, the relationship
between percent racial composition and rate of violent
crime was examined. An overall negative correlation
was found between violent crime and intelligence.
Furthermore, unique racial correlates between crime
and intelligence were observed. There was a positive
correlation between percentage of blacks and rate
of crime and a negative correlation between percentage
of blacks and SAT scores. In contrast, a positive
correlation was observed between percentage of whites
and SAT scores and a negative correlation between
percentage of whites and crime. A negative correlation
was observed between percentage of Asians and SAT
scores and rate of crime. These findings suggest that
intelligence and race underlie violent criminal behavior.
Areas of the United States with a high concentration
of blacks and almost devoid of whites tend to have
high rates of violent crime. Asian immigrants from
countries other than China and Japan appear to be
decreasing the traditional East Asian dominance in
scholarship. Socialization to an American culture
that emphasizes individualism and materialism is having
a negative effect on social behavior on all American
racial groups, both immigrant and native.
