Official MBTI Statistics | INFJ Forum

Official MBTI Statistics

  • Thread starter Deleted member 16771
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Deleted member 16771

Hi all,

So I've been exploring the official MBTI website, which is normally behind a paywall, and they have some interesting demographic statistics (by type) categorisable by age, education, ethnicity, gender, occupation, organisation, situation (employment), and sector.

For me, the most interesting set of stats were the generational data - seeing how different generations have different type distributions (though of course this is biased towards typical test-takers, &c.).

For example, comparing ALL with the youngest generation:


Rarity of types: all
ISTJ - 11.8%
ESTJ - 11.8%
ENFP - 10%
ESFJ - 8.4%
ISFJ - 7.3%
ESFP - 6%
ESTP - 5.9%
ENTP - 5.7%
INFP - 5.1%
ISTP - 4.8%
ENFJ - 4.6%
ISFP - 4.2%
ENTJ - 4.2%
INTP - 4%
INTJ - 3.3%
INFJ - 2.8%

Age group: 14-17
ENFP - 19.5%
ESFP - 10.6%
INFP - 8.7%
ESFJ - 6.9%
ESTP - 6.1%
ENTP - 6.1%
ISFP - 5.8%
ENFJ - 5.4%
ISFJ - 5.4%
ESTJ - 5.3%
ISTJ - 5.2%
ISTP - 4.4%
INTP - 4%
INFJ - 3%
ENTJ - 1.8%
INTJ - 1.7%

In other words, expect the Pixie Revolution to start in about 2027.

Or maybe... a generation of FP snowflakes (@Pin).
 
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I think you're right, but more along the lines of:

The modern school system educates children to embrace their unique individuality, and so, to them, FP answers might seem to be the 'right' ones. I'm just waffling, though.

Seems like a possibility for sure lol
 
AGE: 46-55
ISTJ - 15.3%
ESTJ - 13.9%
ESFJ - 8.1%
ISFJ - 7.7%
ENFP - 7.5%
ENTJ - 5.7%
ENTP - 5.5%
ESTP - 4.6%
ISTP - 4.6%
ESFP - 4.3%
INTJ - 4.2%
ENFJ - 4.1%
INFP - 4.1%
INTP - 4.1%
ISFP - 3.6%
INFJ - 2.5%
 
AGE: 66 and older
ISTJ - 14.6%
ESTJ - 14.5%
ESFJ - 10.3%
ISFJ - 7.5%
ENFP - 7.5%
ENTJ - 6.2%
ENTP - 5.1%
INTJ - 5.1%
ENFJ - 4.7%
ESFP - 3.9%
INFP - 3.9%
ESTP - 3.7%
INTP - 3.7%
ISFP - 3.5%
ISTP - 3.5%
INFJ - 2.5%
 
Thanks for the inside scoop on the data @Deleted member 16771
It is pretty damn interesting to look at!
 
One thing that strikes me as interesting is the increase in INTJs as the age group increases.
I wonder if it has to do with age and Te development.
And also there seems to be more general type stability after around age 30 or so.
This goes in line with my intuition about development and aging.
 
Thank you for this post, Deleted member 16771. It's nice to see the official statistics here. I've long stressed that INFJ is not necessarily the rarest. (INTJ females are the absolute rarest type. The claim is mentioned in the packets INTJs receive when they take the official test, too.)
I find it interesting that generational changes influence type and how each type perceives itself. It could be that type shifts, as Wyote suggested, but it could also be caused by be differing influences as we develop (prenatal care, child care, social norms, etc), or the subject's willingness to admit that they are 'unlike others'. During the 1950s fitting in was celebrated. Now being an individual is celebrated.

Have you taken the official test?
 
These results reflect pretty well how I think my peers have changed entering adulthood, how they prefer to see themselves. When people are 14 they want to see themselves as unique despite the constant effort to fit in through taste in clothes or music. They're also more dramatic and idealistic and believe they can change the world. Some of them think life's about having fun and that they'll never become boring.

Yet, 15 years later most people would rather see themselves as conscientious workers and good providers for their family. Saving the world is left to politicians (yikes!) because now's the time to save up for a bigger house.

I also think MBTI only measures how you prefer to see yourself and not what you truly might be in terms of functions. That's why it makes sense that test results would change with age as people's self-perception changes. Some people are also more prone to introspection, which perhaps keeps their results more stable. In addition, those whose type is uncommon are perhaps more likely to compare themselves to what they see to be the mainstream. That might explain why some types are rare in all age groups. If you're stubborn enough to consider yourself an INTJ when just 14 when everyone else is having pixie parties, that approach might persist because you've had to face at an earlier age what makes you different.

However, if you start from a different assumption on what MBTI actually measures, these explanations don't hold. The difference is that I don't believe in people's abilities to accurately and consistently assess their personality. We see in ourselves what we're taught to consider important and that may or may not reflect how we actually behave. Introversion/extroversion may be easier to assess than other functions, which is why it's also in the big 5 test.
 
Thanks for the inside scoop on the data @Deleted member 16771
It is pretty damn interesting to look at!
No problem! I just have to watch out for the MBTI assassins now.

One thing that strikes me as interesting is the increase in INTJs as the age group increases.
I wonder if it has to do with age and Te development.
And also there seems to be more general type stability after around age 30 or so.
This goes in line with my intuition about development and aging.

You mean, taking type to indicate personal development rather than true type?

It's a fascinating question, and there are two ways to look at it if we exclude the various forms of scepticism:

1) The data indicates true generational preferences related to modes of socialising and educating children in the past.

2) The data is more indicative of how individuals mature as they age - initially favouring more individualistic expressions of personality, but culminating on STJ values and thinking.

Right now I'm favouring more the first interpretation, though of course both (and many other dynamics) would be occurring simultaneously.
 
Thank you for this post, Deleted member 16771. It's nice to see the official statistics here. I've long stressed that INFJ is not necessarily the rarest. (INTJ females are the absolute rarest type. The claim is mentioned in the packets INTJs receive when they take the official test, too.)
I find it interesting that generational changes influence type and how each type perceives itself. It could be that type shifts, as Wyote suggested, but it could also be caused by be differing influences as we develop (prenatal care, child care, social norms, etc), or the subject's willingness to admit that they are 'unlike others'. During the 1950s fitting in was celebrated. Now being an individual is celebrated.

Have you taken the official test?
Yeah, I'm with this interpretation.

Yes I took it and got INTJ. I don't think the whole package and access is worth it for $55 though.
 
Right now I'm favouring more the first interpretation, though of course both (and many other dynamics) would be occurring simultaneously.

Yea I'm with you. It's a tough thing to articulate properly because in reality there are a lot of balancing elements.
 
Yes I took it and got INTJ. I don't think the whole package and access is worth it for $55 though.

Maybe, maybe not. The packet can assign meaning and answers to facets of one's being. Some feel validated by it. You've studied MBTI for a while and seem confident in who you are, so it may not be worth it for you.