Hi Hamilcarr: In addition to the livability factor, there are many other correlations as well. For example, consider the two issues of poverty and the infant mortality rate which is closely connected to the poverty level, for obvious reasons. I believe that the state of Mississippi has one the highest - if not the highest - rates of infant mortality in the nation. I once read that a black male born in Mississippi has approximately the same life expectancy as a citizen of Bangladesh. I hope and pray that this estimate is wrong, but, at the same time, I fear that it is correct. I know for a fact that there is an old blues song that says: "If you're a black child born in Mississippi, you may as well be born dead." I'm pretty sure that the other southern states listed in the poll have similarly high levels of poverty and infant mortality.
In addition to the high levels of poverty and infant mortality, the Southern states listed also have the highest teenage pregnancy levels in the nation [The U.S. as a whole has one of the highest levels of teenage pregnancy among modern, industrialized nations. In fact, there are developing third-world nations with lower teenage pregnancy levels. This fact is a disgrace for the U.S., and it's due in large part to the fact that there are many forms of birth control that are not available to people in general, and teenagers in particular.]
In correlation to the high levels of poverty, infant mortality and teenage pregnancy, the Southern states listed have the highest levels of illiteracy.They have the highest level of high school dropouts, and the lowest levels of college and post college grads.
To borrow a cliche, all of these factors combine to form a "perfect storm" in which superstition and ignorance can become prevalent and dominate society. When this happens, religion in its worst and most virulent forms can fill the void. Although the correlation may not be strictly causal, there is in fact a correlation between the deplorable socio-cultural factors in many segments of southern states, and the especially noxious and harmful forms of fundamentalist/evangelical extremism evident in the "Bible Belt."
Ignorance breeds hate and intolerance, both of which are evident in the "Bible belt." The nickname of the University of Mississippi is "Ole Miss." Many people erroneously believe that the word, "Miss," is a shortened form of "Mississippi." It's an understandable error, but it is indeed an error. "Ole Miss" was what the slaves on the plantations called the plantation owner's wife. How can a university allow itself to be called such a hateful and repugnant name?
When I consider the implications of the Pew Forum Poll, it is with no little apprehension. Such figures and statistics do not bode well for the U.S. in general. Although the South does have wonderful universities and institutes of higher learning, although the south does have wonderful and vibrant cities, there are too many areas and segments which are nothing but intellectual and cultural backwaters. There are too many people living in third-world conditions. The fact that so many people sincerly believe that they have some sort of hot-line to God is a disgrace. It's pernicious, supstitious nonsense. And the great danger is that the U.S. in general will become an isolated, cultural backwater.
In short, the sort ignorance reflected in the Pew Forum Poll can drain a society of its vitality. This sort of ignorance can only prove itself to be very dangerous in the long term. I really think that the future will "belong" to those nations and societies which are capable of educating their people and freeing them from the bonds of ignorance and superstition. I hope that I am wrong, but - as the statistics revealed in the Pew Forum Poll reveal - I fear that the U.S. is losing the battle in many segments of its society.
