Are Londoners more intelligent?

[tothinkofsomething]

My Dad made a big thing when we moved out of London ( Zone 6 type expensive green Commuter belt area). We moved into North Hampshire. He basically was saying that outside the magical barrier of the M25 that the level of education is a lot lower. My Dc are just at the start of their school journeys and I have nothing to compare to. But his thoughts were that if my DC was top of their class in Hampshire that would be lower than in London. I'm guessing this depends on area of London? Also our estate agent said we shouldn't move out as we would struggle to get back in.

The number one ranked university in the world is outside London!

Most intelligent ones have left, I certainly have. London is a different city to what it was 40 years ago.

All my maternal family are in London the rest in the north. I can honestly say my London family are all thick as pig shit, not that they think so, they are all full of it and think they are amazing. My northern family on the other had are very successful, PHDs, Engineers, successful business owners, but are very down to earth and don’t lord it over anyone.

Do you catch the thick when you step outside the M25 then? Can you get it back? Am scared now...

Why don’t you look up reports on school attainment for every area and see if your hypothesis still holds water?

I will leave my personal judgement of your question out for the time being.

@tothinkofsomething

I'm talking generally, general level of intelligence, obviously there are intelligent people living all over. Is there statistics on this ?

I think you’ll find it’s “ARE there any statistics...” Coming from a highly educated and proud northerner, who actually thinks you have to be a bit crackers to WANT to live in London. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice enough city, but quite honestly there’s more to life than being crammed on to underground trains, living in poky flats with no gardens, breathing in fumes all day every day and NOISE! Give me a great job and nice spacious house in Yorkshire or Northumberland any day.

@SueEllenMishke

Hahahaha this has to be one of the most ridiculous things I've ever read.

No, but there must be a “brain drain” towards London as so many large organisations and companies are based so graduates move there.

This is actually a myth. A relatively small number of graduates move to London once they've graduated - less than 20%.

Of course not all graduates move to London. There are lots of graduate jobs everywhere, such as teachers, social workers, etc. But, most of the TOP graduate jobs ARE in London, i.e. the head offices of banks, large businesses, civil servants etc.

And 20% of ALL graduates is a huge number leaving their own towns and moving to London.

I don't know about London, but I think I heard that Hampshire is well below national average intelligence. Or something about leaving an important part of one's brain somewhere in a field in Hampshire.

As someone who was born and lives in Hampshire: I am appalled.

@ReeseWitherfork please tell me you get the reference. If you are not actually appalled, then nod and wink and just tell me when the spaceship lands!

Good god that's hilarious, eh no. You get stupid people everywhere.

And 20% of ALL graduates is a huge number leaving their own towns and moving to London

Not really, when you think London has about 15% of the population of the UK to start with, about 15% or more of students ARE FROM London originally

@backinthebox I am appalled at your interpretation and what it means for us Hampshire folk 😉

Of course not all graduates move to London. There are lots of graduate jobs everywhere, such as teachers, social workers, etc. But, most of the TOP graduate jobs ARE in London, i.e. the head offices of banks, large businesses, civil servants etc.

And 20% of ALL graduates is a huge number leaving their own towns and moving to London.

Actually I misrepresented that figure. Apologies, i wasn't quite awake!

18% of graduates go to work in a new town/city ( so a place they didn't grow up in or move to for university...known as 'incomers' in the research) That place isn't always London, in fact only 42% of this group move to London to work.
Most graduates have actually attended university in their local area and then subsequently found work there, or moved away to attend university but returned home for work.

Only 34% of graduates working in London are 'incomers' The idea that there is a mass migration of graduates to London is largely a myth.

of course not. Have you been on the tube?? Have you walked around some parts of north london ( my old stomping ground) the tube is filthy ( my skin would be covered in grime afterwards) and where I used to live was full of dog 💩 and used needles. All the pollution and drugs are not good for your IQ.

I would think even asking that question indicates that Londoners are not more intelligent than the rest of the population.

And I suspect your estate agent was talking about house price inflation rather than making an insightful evidence-based comment on educational attainment.

Maybe more resilient? Having to put up with the fact everyone is allowed to rip us to shreds. I'd never say anything like some of these comments about other parts of the UK.

I'm a Londoner and I can attest to the fact that we have an awful lot of thick people here.
My mother was Scottish and she regularly told me that the Scots were the most intelligent people on earth.Maybe move there?

[quote backinthebox]@ReeseWitherfork please tell me you get the reference. If you are not actually appalled, then nod and wink and just tell me when the spaceship lands! [/quote]
The pirate radio should be able to tell you what’s going down... or head to Camden Town.

Having grown up in Devon then Cornwall, then moved to London to work at 28, then moved to the US for a few years, followed by a decade in a Surrey commuter belt town, l am well aware of the inherent superiority of a chunk of those living in the hallowed area inside the M25.
Although those l grew up with are always astounded by the lack of understanding and knowledge, many of these people have of the remainder of the Uk outside that motorway, l never thought that l would hear such a cracking example of this as the op.

Perhaps your question is phrased the wrong way, as you go on to talk more about the standards of education outside of London, which has nothing to do with intelligence.

No, I don't think people outside of London are less intelligent (different in many other ways that mean I wouldn't choose to move from London, but not in intelligence). As for the quality of education, I think it depends where you live. There are a lot of really shit schools in London, as well as a lot of good ones. You'll find the same is true wherever you move. You may have more choice in London, as it's so heavily populated, there are lots more schools (especially primaries) within a small area.

Your estate agent is right about finding it difficult to move back once you move out of London. Generally, prices in London are higher and will rise at a faster rate than elsewhere, so you'll find yourself priced out. But just think carefully about where you move - try renting somewhere for a year to see if the area and local facilities suit you.

@backinthebox it's not about a complex superiority it's about aspirations. As I've mentioned in my reply that my friends from my London secondary school are doing better in life despite paying at least double on rent, more on transport/car insurance and have more outgoings, also being disadvantaged because of the overcrowded population when it comes to finding a job or if they ever want to buy a property- the extortionate prices they have to pay. But the friends from my Hampshire secondary school, most have chosen to live a humble life. Some being pregnant when taking their GCSE's taking up a council house (this was the way 18 years ago), some are cocklodgers and most of them are doing low skill jobs. I'm not looking down on them, they do live a relatively cheaper lifestyle, have excellent air quality and have beautiful outdoor attractions. Some may argue that the people choosing to live in London are a mug for paying so much but I chose to follow my aspirations, have a career and always work relentlessly. As I have said, there are intelligent and stupid everywhere but you do need to be street smart to survive in London otherwise you will get pushed out of the M25. I am going to die one day, probably earlier than my Hampshire mates from the stress and poor air quality but I will die knowing that I have followed my aspirations and lived a fulfilling life.

Yes, London schools do outperform the rest of the country.

Has anyone linked this yet?

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26088751/

IQs in London and the SE are, on average, higher than in other UK regions.

Ps I haven't actually read the whole paper. Moved out of london, you see, so it's a bit much for me nowadays.

Come back OP