Patterns In Data Realization: Maps Depicting Social Ills Look Eerily Familiar

Update (8/27/13): 
The website PornHub has just released a trove of data on America's porn habits. I couldn't help but notice that, once again, it's THAT MAP. I have added the map to the bottom of this previously-published post.

I'm fascinated by data realizations in map form. They say a picture's worth a thousand words.

I'm not going to make any statements about cause and effect, as we all know that correlation does not imply causation. But there certainly is much to be gleaned from correlation.

The below map has been making the rounds recently. It depicts the largest participating religious groups by county in the United States -- basically which religions are most represented in each county.

As fascinating as it is, it probably doesn't come as much of a surprise:

See that large swath of red across the South? That's the Bible Belt. It has a lot in common with many other maps (some of which have been discussed here before).

Here's a map depicting life expectancies for females, by county:

And here's the same for males:

Here we have a map of religiosity in America, with the darker green depicting the most religious areas:

Here we have a map depicting well-being in America. The lighter areas indicate those areas in which residents report a lower sense of well-being.

Here we have a map depicting poverty in the US. Darker portions of the map indicate higher rates of poverty.

In the below map, we can see the divorce rates for men by state (darker colors indicate the highest rates of divorce):

Here we have the same map for women:

The following colorful map depicts the state of same-sex marriage in America. The darker red states are those which are most hostile towards gay-marriage (see key).

And here we have teen birth rates:

Noticing a pattern here?

Here we have a map of active hate groups:

The following map shows the treatment of evolution in schools, by state:

How about the states accepting abstinence education funds (those in orange denied federal abstinence education funds)?

What about high school diplomas?

And here we have the 2008 presidential election red state/blue state map:

Here's a map showing which states spend the most time on PornHub, the third largest porn video site on the internet. Could it be that the most religious, most conservative, most anti-gay, most anti-evolution, most pro-abstinence education states are also the states spending the most time viewing hardcore pornography?

Again, there are many, many factors that play into each of these maps. There are certainly many complex correlations and causations (and some factors perpetuate others). For example, we know that areas of high poverty will likely (for obvious reasons) experience less well-being, lower rates of education, and lower life expectancies.

The religious and political correlations, however, are more curious.

Do lower levels of well-being and lower life expectancies cause higher rates of religiosity?

Are blue-leaning states more likely to deny evolution? Or are evolution-deniers more likely to vote conservative?

Does abstinence education lead to higher teen pregnancy rates? Or do high teen pregnancy rates lead to more abstinence education?

Are hate groups more likely to be comprised of religious conservatives?

Do lower rates of high school graduates play into higher rates of religious conservatism?

Would an increase in graduation levels decrease the number of religious conservatives, evolution denialists, and hate groups?

Is it offensive to ask these questions? If so, why?

Do you have the answers? Please share.

How Religious Is Your State?

A new Gallup survey reveals that all our stereotypes about religiosity and US geography are correct. Surprise, surprise: Mississippi, Utah, Alabama, and Louisiana are the most religious states. And lo and behold, the Northeast (that hotbed of liberal Democrats and ivy league schools) are the least religious.

Via LiveScience:

A new Gallup survey reveals which U.S. states are most and least religious, with the South living up to its Bible Belt label, while other states were less likely to attend religious services.

The results are based on telephone interviews conducted between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2011, with a random sample of 353,492 adults, ages 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Here are the rankings:

Mississippi: 59 percent are very religious
Utah: 57 percent
Alabama: 56 percent
Louisiana: 54 percent
Arkansas: 54 percent
South Carolina: 54 percent
Tennessee: 52 percent
North Carolina: 50 percent
Georgia: 48 percent
Oklahoma: 48 percent
Texas: 47 percent
Kentucky: 47 percent
South Dakota: 45 percent
Indiana: 45 percent
Missouri: 44 percent
North Dakota: 44 percent
Nebraska: 44 percent
West Virginia: 43 percent
Virginia: 42 percent
Idaho: 42 percent
New Mexico: 41 percent
Iowa: 41 percent
Minnesota: 40 percent
Pennsylvania: 40 percent
Ohio: 39 percent
Maryland: 39 percent
Florida: 39 percent
Illinois: 39 percent
Wisconsin: 37 percent
Michigan: 37 percent
Arizona: 35 percent
Montana: 35 percent
California: 35 percent
Wyoming: 34 percent
New Jersey: 34 percent
Delaware: 33 percent
Colorado: 33 percent
Hawaii: 33 percent
Rhode Island: 32 percent
New York: 32 percent
District of Columbia: 32 percent
Connecticut: 31 percent
Washington: 30 percent
Nevada: 30 percent
Oregon: 30 percent
Alaska: 28 percent
Massachusetts: 28 percent
Maine: 25 percent
Vermont: 23 percent are very religious
New Hampshire: 23 percent

It is worth noting that five years ago I moved from the least religious state to the eighth most religious state. It has been quite an adjustment.

Read the full story here.

It is also worth mentioning that this data aligns quite well with so many other telling characteristics of our US states.

University Rankings on Religiosity, Equality, and Political Leanings

The Princeton Review surveyed over 122,000 students for their yearly college rankings. The data is sliced and diced in many ways. Of particular interest to readers of this blog might be the 2011 rankings related to religion, politics, and equality.

There are some obvious trends. Also, BYU, Hillsdale, and Wheaton seem like major drags.

Some abbreviated overviews below...

Most Religious Students:
1. Brigham Young University, Provo UT
2. Hillsdale College, Hillsdale MI
3. Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula CA
4. Wheaton College, Wheaton IL
5. Grove City College, Grove City PA
6. University of Dallas, Irving TX
7. College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout MO
8. University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame IN
9. Calvin College, Grand Rapids MI
10. Baylor University, Waco TX

Least Religious Students:
1. Bennington College, Bennington VT
2. Reed College, Portland OR
3. Bard College, Annondale-on-Hudson NY
4. Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY
5. Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville NY
6. Bard College at Simon's Rock, Great Barrington MA
7. Emerson College, Boston MA
8. Pomona College, Claremont CA
9. Grinnell College, Grinnell IA
10. Macalester College, St. Paul MN

Most LGBT-Friendly:
1. New York University, New York NY
2. Stanford University, Stanford CA
3. Emerson College, Boston MA
4. Wellesley College, Wellesley MA
5. Bennington College, Bennington VT
6. University of Wisconson-Madison, Madison, WI
7. Macalaster College, St. Paul MN
8. New College of Florida, Sarasota FL
9. Prescott College, Prescott AZ
10. Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville NY

Least LGBT-Friendly:
1. Wheaton College, Wheaton IL
2. Grove City College, Grove City PA
3. Brigham Young University, Provo UT
4. Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney VA
5. College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout MO
6. University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame IN
7. Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula CA
8. Boston College, Chestnut Hill MA
9. University of Dallas, Irving TX
10. Texas A&M University - College Station, College Station TX

Most Liberal Students:
1. Macalaster College, St. Paul MN
2. Warren Wilson College, Asheville NC
3. New College of Florida, Sarasota FL
4. Eugene Lang College, New York NY
5. Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville NY
6. Hampshire College, Amherst MA
7. Bard College, Annondale-on-Hudson NY
8. University of Puget Sound, Tacoma WA
9. Pitzer College, Claremont CA
10. Prescott College, Prescott AZ

Most Conservative Students:
1. Hillsdale College, Hillsdale MI
2. Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula CA
3. Texas A&M University - College Station, College Station TX
4. Grove City College, Grove City PA
5. United States Air Force Academny, USAF Academy CO
6. University of Dallas, Irving TX
7. United States Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point NY
8. Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney VA
9. Brigham Young University, Provo UT
10. Angelo State University, San Angelo TX

You can access the report here.

Study: Increased Life Expectancy = Postponement of Religious Participation

A new study, by Dr Elissaios Papyrakis at the University of East Anglia and Dr Geethanjali Selvaretnam from the University of St Andrews in the UK, seems to state the obvious: Because of longer life expectancy, more people are postponing active religious participation.

It is undeniable that death plays a major role in religious belief.  Our earliest evidence of religious belief is based on the ritual treatment of the dead.  Evidence from burial sites and associated artifacts supports early belief in the afterlife.  

Belief in the afterlife is common in all human cultures, and is somewhat of a cornerstone of religious belief.  And although religion has provided many benefits to humans throughout history, perhaps the most potent selling point of many religions has been the promises of an afterlife.  And certainly the threat of an eternity of hell has been one of religion's greatest motivators. 

If the afterlife serves as one of religion's major attractions, it seems logical to expect that, with an ever-increasing life expectancy in developed societies, making peace with one's god would lose some of its urgency.

"The findings have important policy implications for what churches want to do and how they attract members," explained Dr Papyrakis, of the School of International Development at UEA. "Many religions and societies link to some degree the cumulative amount of religious effort to benefits in the afterlife. We show that higher life expectancy discounts expected benefits in the afterlife and is therefore likely to lead to postponement of religiosity, without necessarily jeopardising benefits in the afterlife."

From the article:

Religions that largely delink salvation/damnation to the timing and amount of religious effort will particularly need to resort to such means to boost membership numbers. In most religions, the perceived probability of entering heaven or hell depends to a certain degree on the individual's lifetime behaviour. The degree of this varies across religions, being relatively high in Buddhism and Catholicism, but lower in Protestantism. In Calvinism, in particular, salvation/damnation is largely seen as predestined.

In poorer countries where life expectancy remains low, a larger share of the population, both young and old, is concerned about what happens after death, which naturally encourages religious participation.