The low IQ questions

In case you missed it, dating site OkCupid has landed in some hot water recently for having the following question as part of their preliminary matching questionnaire: ‘Would the world be a better place if people with a low IQs were not allowed to reproduce?’

Mencap, a charity representing people with learning disabilities, created a petition urging OkCupid to remove the question from their survey, calling it ‘inappropriate, offensive and discriminatory’ to those with learning disabilities.

Ciara Lawrence, a campaign manager for Mencap, argues that by even asking the question, OkCupid is making it okay to believe that the world would be a better place if those with learning abilities didn’t reproduce.

(Picture: Alamy)
‘If the same question was asked about people of different races or sexuality there would be outrage,’ says Ciara. ‘It should be the same for people with a learning disability.’

Which is a fair point – it is an awful question.

But here’s the thing. This isn’t the only dodgy question that’s asked as part of OkCupid’s screening questionnaire.

This is a question from one of OkCupid’s staff created tests. (Picture: OkCupid)
There are equally bizarre questions mentioning race, gender, and sexuality.

Here are just a few we found while doing the survey:

Dodgy questions asked as part of OkCupid's dating questionnaire:
The idea of gay and lesbian couples having children is: (answers: acceptable or unacceptable)
Do you think homosexuality is a sin?
In a certain light, wouldn’t nuclear war be exciting?
Which is worse: starving children or abused animals?
Would you strongly prefer to go out with someone of your own skin colour/background?
Would you consider dating someone who has vocalised a strong negative bias toward a certain race of people?
Some
Some religions are more correct than others: True or false?
Do you think women have an obligation to keep their legs shaved?
Do you believe men should be the heads of their household?
Which would do more to improve the world? (answers: Fewer ugly people, fewer stupid people, or this question upsets me)
Is a woman who’s slept with 100 men a bad person?
Are some human lives worth more than others?
Can overweight people still be sexy?
Assume you have a homosexual friend who is the same gender as you. Would it bother you if they hugged you?
Is interracial marriage a bad idea?
Do you feel there are any circumstances in which a person is obligated to have sex with you?
Do overweight people annoy you?
Do you believe there is a correlation between race and intelligence?

And, erm, that’s where I stopped clicking through the questions, because I was too busy despairing at humanity.

The site also has a staff-created tests users can do for fun, such as the ‘slut test’ (yes, really), and a test that asks if you would dump someone if they were slowly putting on weight.

Another one from a staff created test. (Picture: OkCupid)
But are these questions creating a place on the internet where holding offensive opinions is perfectly okay?

Or are they really effective ways of ruling out people you most definitely wouldn’t want to date? After all, it’s good to know that if I had an OkCupid account, I would never be matched with someone who holds racist or sexist views.