Iowa is Officially One of the Most Honest States in the Country
As humans, we are lied to up to 200 times per day. That's according to USC psychologist Gerald Jellison. Keep in mind, many of these lies aren't necessarily consequential. It could be replying with "I'm fine" to somebody asking "how are you doing," when in reality, you're anything but. But the idea has led some researchers to question: how many times are we lied to on any given day?
Well, the hardworking folks at Gambling.com have come up with an answer. Enter the "US Dishonesty Index," a comprehensive study that dug into "America's biggest bluffers." It ranks all 50 states from most-to-least dishonest. With that being said, it's better to be ranked lower on this list as opposed to higher. The lower a state is, the more honest its citizens are.
The Methodology:
The process Gambling.com utilized took a look at these five equally weighted metrics, which therein added up to a score of 100.
- Average monthly Google searches for "Tips on Lying" (per 100,000 of the population) = 36 (45th across America)
- Average monthly Google searches for "How to Bluff" (per 100,000 of the population) = 137 (23rd across America)
- Average monthly Google searches for "Ashley Madison" (per 100,000 of the population) = 205 (35th across America)
- Divorce Rates = 10.8% (32nd across America) 5. Overall Integrity Scores = 67 (37th across America - lower placed the better)
How Honest is Iowa?:
Iowa placed 48 on Gambling.com's study. Think of it this way: Iowa is the third most honest state in the entire country! When it came to the monthly Google searches for "Tips on Lying," Iowa's average was only 36, compared to 137 and 205 average searches for "How to Bluff" and "Ashley Madison," respectively.
Iowa divorce rates are only 10.8%, bringing its overall score to 29.2. Good enough to be considered one of the most honest states in the country.
Where Do Illinois and Wisconsin Rank?:
Illinois isn't far behind Iowa! Illinois came in at 44 on the list, meaning its citizens are part of the seventh most honest state in the country! Its Google searches across the aforementioned metrics average out to 41:116:316, respectively. Illinois' divorce rates are even lower than Iowa's at 9.7%.
Wisconsin comes in at #12, with its Google searches averaging out to 36:122:249, respectively.
The Most Dishonest State in the Country Is...:
Wyoming, of all places, came in at #1 for the most dishonest state in the country. "How to Bluff" and "Ashley Madison" were Googled an average of 300 and 224 times, respectively! Its divorce rater is also high at 12.2%. Considering Wyoming is not a very populated state, that metric is doubly concerning.
View the full results of Gambling.com's study here!