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Yale Professor's Surprising Discovery: Tea Party Supporters More Scientifically Literate
Independent Journal Review ^ | 16, Oct 2013 | Kyle Becker

Posted on 10/18/2013 11:21:38 AM PDT by neverdem

Yale Law professor Dan M. Kahan was conducting an analysis of the scientific comprehension of various political groups when he ran into a shocking discovery: tea party supporters are slightly more scientifically literate than the non-tea party population.

When composing histograms of the scientific inference abilities of liberals and conservatives, he discovered that those who described themselves as tea party supporters came out pretty well, based on National Science Foundation standards of evaluation:

The shift to the right on the gray columns represents a positive correlation between tea party members and generally higher scientific test scores. The r=0.05 is not a drastically higher score, but the findings are statistically significant to p=.05. In other words, tea party members appear to be slightly, but solidly more scientifically literate than non-tea party members.

In fact, tea party members tend to be more scientifically literate than other self-described conservatives, who have slightly negative scores, overall. These findings should give both liberal and GOP establishment types pause over their caricatures of tea party constituents.

Remarkable was the professor’s reaction on the Yale Law “Cultural Cognition Project” website:

I’ve got to confess, though, I found this result surprising. As I pushed the button to run the analysis on my computer, I fully expected I’d be shown a modest negative correlation between identifying with the Tea Party and science comprehension.

But then again, I don’t know a single person who identifies with the Tea Party. All my impressions come from watching cable tv — & I don’t watch Fox News very often — and reading the “paper” (New York Times daily, plus a variety of politics-focused internet sites like Huffington Post & Politico).

I’m a little embarrassed, but mainly I’m just glad that I no longer hold this particular mistaken view...


(Excerpt) Read more at ijreview.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: dankahan; globalwarminghoax; science; teaparty; yale
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1 posted on 10/18/2013 11:21:38 AM PDT by neverdem
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To: neverdem

I saw this yesterday. Only surprised at how stupid the “scientist” is. “I found facts but I disregard what I found.”

I’d like to know how he conducted his research.


2 posted on 10/18/2013 11:23:41 AM PDT by Tenacious 1 (Waiting for next tagline.)
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To: neverdem

We can do basic math, and know how to live within a budget.

Compared to your average lib, that’s like calculus to a caveman.


3 posted on 10/18/2013 11:24:25 AM PDT by VanDeKoik
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To: neverdem
I don’t know a single person who identifies with the Tea Party. All my impressions come from watching cable tv — & I don’t watch Fox News very often — and reading the “paper” (New York Times daily, plus a variety of politics-focused internet sites like Huffington Post & Politico).

Although he just proved to himself his information source don't match reality, I doubt he changes his sources, or doubts them on any other topic.

4 posted on 10/18/2013 11:24:42 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: neverdem

2 plus 2 does not equal 5 or 3 and liberals seem to have a harder time understanding that.


5 posted on 10/18/2013 11:27:38 AM PDT by equaviator (There's nothing like the universe to bring you down to earth.)
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To: neverdem
She Blinded Me With Science
6 posted on 10/18/2013 11:27:43 AM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
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To: neverdem
Oh, but he missed the far greater intellectual aptitude of the so-called "Tea Party movement" members:

As individuals, their "comprehension" of the history of civilization and the ideas of liberty embodied in their Declaration of Independence and incorporated into their Constitution for a "People's" limited government makes them "constitutionally literate" as well.

7 posted on 10/18/2013 11:30:32 AM PDT by loveliberty2
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To: Tenacious 1
“I found facts but I disregard what I found.”

That is the liberal thought process. It is why they still worry about global warming, push Keynesian economics and continue to fight the war on poverty.
8 posted on 10/18/2013 11:30:43 AM PDT by LostInBayport (When there are more people riding in the cart than there are pulling it, the cart stops moving...)
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To: neverdem

Smarter Than the Average Conservative! Woo-hoo!


9 posted on 10/18/2013 11:31:29 AM PDT by firebrand
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To: neverdem

From yesterday:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3080225/posts


10 posted on 10/18/2013 11:32:04 AM PDT by upchuck (nobamacare must be stopped before it can live down to our expectations.)
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To: neverdem

Uh....libs put your pencils down.the test was over three days ago.


11 posted on 10/18/2013 11:33:35 AM PDT by longfellow (Bill Maher, the 21st hijacker.)
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To: LostInBayport
That is the liberal thought process. It is why they still worry about global warming, push Keynesian economics and continue to fight the war on poverty.

LOL! Spot on!

12 posted on 10/18/2013 11:33:40 AM PDT by neverdem (Register pressure cookers! /s)
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To: neverdem

13 posted on 10/18/2013 11:33:55 AM PDT by South40 (Liberalism is a Disease)
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To: neverdem
Tea Party = business owners (balance sheets), engineers (math all the time), doctors (dosages), truckers (weight, balance, fuel, mileage, tariffs), moms & dads managing the family budget, bank tellers, construction workers (estimating, measuring), service members (range, closure, firing solutions)

Libs / GOPe RINOs = Medieval Italian poetry majors, street agitators, potheads, welfare queens, politicians, Obamacare navigators, domestic terrorists

14 posted on 10/18/2013 11:38:53 AM PDT by twister881
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To: neverdem

Borrowing to pay debt is not the way to avoid a default. It is how you make the eventual default worse.

Get a leftist fanatic to explain the above.


15 posted on 10/18/2013 11:39:44 AM PDT by pallis
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To: neverdem

16 posted on 10/18/2013 11:40:27 AM PDT by South40 (Liberalism is a Disease)
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To: neverdem

It’s not a shock to me. A lot of people who made their way in life without relying on the government for help usually aren’t stupid.


17 posted on 10/18/2013 11:51:11 AM PDT by miliantnutcase
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To: neverdem

Military, technicians— don’t get their news from Jon Stewart.


18 posted on 10/18/2013 11:52:27 AM PDT by Mamzelle
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To: pallis

It’s like getting a “payday loan” to pay your last “payday loan.” Over and over and over.


19 posted on 10/18/2013 11:52:55 AM PDT by informavoracious (Of course I want people to have healthcare, I just didn't know I was the one who would be paying...)
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To: South40

20 posted on 10/18/2013 11:58:03 AM PDT by Maceman (Just say "NO" to tyranny.)
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