Ethnic groups and interest in politics

In an earlier post, I suggested that the political power of American ethnic groups might be determined, in part, by differences in extraversion (in addition to mean IQ and size). Steve Sailer makes the sensible point that some groups are simply not interested in politics.

The General Social Survey asked Americans their level of interest in politics. Answers ranged from "very interested" to "not interested." The table lists mean scores for each ethnic group.

Americans with Jewish or English backgrounds have the greatest interest, while Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans are bored by politics. This helps explains why Mex-Ams have less political power than one might expect. A person active in the Texas Democratic party told me once that Mex-Ams are not sleeping, they're dead.

Next, I'll use GSS data to create a profile of a politically interested person.

Extraversion and political influence: Based on IQ, one would expect Jewish Americans and Asian Americans to have a disproportionate political influence on the country. We certainly see this with Jews, but not Asians (correct me if I'm wrong). Based on IQ levels, we would not expect blacks and Hispanics to have much influence, but of the two, Hispanics should be more powerful since they are smarter. The truth, though, is that blacks are the stronger group.

My recent posts might help explain this pattern. Blacks and especially Jews are extraverted groups, Asians and Hispanics are not. American Indians are another introverted group who seem to be practically invisible. Of course, population is a factor with all the groups, and I'm not arguing that groups do not have power on particular issues. I'm thinking more of an overall presence in the political process.

IQ and extraversion might also explain the disproportionate influence of homosexuals. My last post revealed that homosexuals and bisexuals have high extraversion scores, and I showed some time ago that the mean IQ for white gay men is 105.

Extraversion can also help explain differences in cultural influence and media presence.

And let's not forget that broad heritability for extraversion is around .5, suggesting that genetic differences might help explain these patterns.