Kids Link Accents with Intelligence

 Children link accents with intelligence from the age of five, says study

  • By age five, children already associate a standard southern English accent with intelligence.
  • Children exposed to a wider variety of accents at home show less bias and are more accepting of different accents.
  • Early accent biases are shaped by socialization, not innate, and can be addressed through exposure and awareness.

Hey, it’s Rex here, reporting on a fascinating study published in The Conversation that dives deep into how young children start linking accents with intelligence-long before most of us would expect.

The research, led by a team at the University of Essex, set out to explore whether five-year-olds already have unconscious biases about accents. They worked with 27 children in Essex, introducing them to two cartoon characters: one described as “clever” and the other as “not clever.” After this introduction, the kids listened to audio clips of different UK accents and then completed a matching task, pairing the voices they heard with either the “clever” or “not clever” character. The researchers measured both how quickly the kids made their choices and their brain activity using EEG, giving them insight into the children’s automatic, unspoken associations.

The results were eye-opening. Even at just five years old, these kids strongly linked a standard southern English accent-think “Queen’s English” or received pronunciation-with intelligence. This matches what we see in wider UK society, where standard accents are often viewed as “correct” or more prestigious. Interestingly, the Essex accent, which is local to these children, was also associated with intelligence for one of the brain measures. This suggests there’s a “familiarity effect”-kids tend to see their home accent in a positive light, even if adults later develop negative stereotypes about it.

On the flip side, the Yorkshire accent was often linked with a lack of intelligence, echoing the common prejudices against northern UK accents. What’s especially concerning is that these biases are already showing up in kids who are just starting school.

But here’s the hopeful part: children who grew up hearing a wider range of accents at home-say, with parents from different regions-were much less likely to associate any accent with unintelligence. They were simply more open and accepting overall.

So, why does this matter for anyone thinking about accent modification training? As someone who works in this field, I see every day how deeply accent perceptions can affect confidence, opportunities, and social interactions. This study shows that accent biases aren’t just an adult problem-they’re picked up early, shaped by what kids hear and experience. The good news is, exposure to accent diversity can counteract negative stereotypes.

For anyone considering accent modification, it’s not just about “sounding right”-it’s about understanding and navigating the social attitudes that come with different ways of speaking. It may not be fair, but unfortunately, it's a reality too much of the time for too many of us. And for all of us, it’s a reminder to challenge our own assumptions and to celebrate the rich variety of voices around us.

Original research credit: The Conversation, “Children link accents with intelligence from the age of five, says study”1. Published 29 April 2025



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