Decoding State Vaccination Rates Using Intelligence Quotient, Income, and Political Affiliation

The objective of the study was to evaluate the risk factors associated with lower COVID-19 vaccination rates in the United States. The study evaluated the effect of red-blue political affiliation, and the effect of the US state's average intelligence quotient (IQ) and per capita income on states vaccination rates. The study found that states with concomitantly lower income along with lower intelligence quotient (IQ) are less vaccinated while the states with higher income have higher vaccination rates even among those with lower intelligence quotients. These findings stayed significant after adjusting for red-blue political affiliation where states with red political affiliation have lower vaccination rates. Further study is needed to evaluate how to stop online misinformation among low-income low intelligence quotient states and whether such an effort will increase overall vaccination rates in the United States.