political compass test

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I took this test last night. I was surprised I wasn't further right on the economic side. I guess I didn't answer strongly agree or strongly disagree enough.

[edited because the previous content was even dumber than the current content]

As one scores nearer to the very bottom or very top, would the left-right measurement have less practical significance?

Assuming the test is well-calibrated, would a "perfect" libertarian have a score horizontally in the center and all the way to the bottom? Similarly, would a "perfect" authoritarian be at the center top? Or would the "perfect" scores be in one of the corners?

With this variant of the chart, what exactly would it mean if a person happened to score all the way in one of the corners?

If a person is a total anarchist regarding economic freedoms but an intolerant jerk desiring to control every aspect of people's personal lives-- Where would he score on this chart? I suppose it would be a dot somewhere on the right border, but where? If max economic freedom is on the right side, and min personal freedom is on the top side, would this guy score on the top-right corner?

On the other hand, that fellow who is totally anarchist regarding economic freedoms is "half-way" toward being a libertarian, so it wouldn's seem representative to characterize him an authoritarian?

Or consider a fellow who will defend ALL personal freedoms to the death but he is a complete commie regarding economics-- Where would he score on this chart? Bottom-left? It would hardly seem fair to characterize such a person "libertarian"?

If max economic freedom is on the right and max personal freedom is on the bottom, would a "perfect libertarian" be the bottom-right corner? In that case, considering that the fellow equally values personal and economic freedoms, it seems hardly fair to call him a right-winger?

Maybe this variant is somehow better than the traditional nolan chart, but I'm finding it difficult to understand.

(I remember reading the explanation pages of that site some months ago, but don't recall every detail. Maybe that is a silly question and I should go an re-read all of it again.)

Edited January 10, 2012 by Lester Weevils

[xRUSTYx]

Economic Left/Right: 3.75

Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 1.54

[mav]

[edited because the previous content was even dumber than the current content]

As one scores nearer to the very bottom or very top, would the left-right measurement have less practical significance?

Assuming the test is well-calibrated, would a "perfect" libertarian have a score horizontally in the center and all the way to the bottom? Similarly, would a "perfect" authoritarian be at the center top? Or would the "perfect" scores be in one of the corners?

With this variant of the chart, what exactly would it mean if a person happened to score all the way in one of the corners?

If a person is a total anarchist regarding economic freedoms but an intolerant jerk desiring to control every aspect of people's personal lives-- Where would he score on this chart? I suppose it would be a dot somewhere on the right border, but where? If max economic freedom is on the right side, and min personal freedom is on the top side, would this guy score on the top-right corner?

On the other hand, that fellow who is totally anarchist regarding economic freedoms is "half-way" toward being a libertarian, so it wouldn's seem representative to characterize him an authoritarian?

Or consider a fellow who will defend ALL personal freedoms to the death but he is a complete commie regarding economics-- Where would he score on this chart? Bottom-left? It would hardly seem fair to characterize such a person "libertarian"?

If max economic freedom is on the right and max personal freedom is on the bottom, would a "perfect libertarian" be the bottom-right corner? In that case, considering that the fellow equally values personal and economic freedoms, it seems hardly fair to call him a right-winger?

Maybe this variant is somehow better than the traditional nolan chart, but I'm finding it difficult to understand.

(I remember reading the explanation pages of that site some months ago, but don't recall every detail. Maybe that is a silly question and I should go an re-read all of it again.)

You would have to click on the link in the original post or this one. They do a half decent job of explaining the results at the end of the test.

The Political Compass - Test

Edited January 11, 2012 by mav

[mav]

I took the test again and changed some of my answers to the strongly disagree or strongly disagree. I ended up being further to the right economically and about the same socially.

(edit) I knew there was something strange about the test in how they do some of the scoring. The above chart would be indicative of my belief. I have never really been one to use phrases like strongly agree or disagree. I either agree or I don't.

Edited January 12, 2012 by mav

[Guest pfries]

well here it is folks the questions are a bit well lets just say I believe I am a bit more right than this indicates. IMO

[Guest Lester Weevils]

You would have to click on the link in the original post or this one. They do a half decent job of explaining the results at the end of the test.

The Political Compass - Test

Thanks Mav

Think I had it confused with another test with similar output graphics.

Perhaps this classification has advantages, but snap-judgement concludes that there is no position in this chart which can't be represented on the Nolan coordinates, which are easier to understand.

The test terminology is squishy at least in USA English rather than Brit English. Apparently a hard-core commie who would happily confiscate all of his neighbor's property, can score libertarian on this test, assuming that the commie doesn't mind his neighbor having sex with goats!

The explanation seems to assume that USA libertarianism is solely economically based.

I let the page expire while reading FAQs, but my score was similar to yours on the X axis and slightly lower on the Y axis.

Constructed by Brits. Figures. The same fellers who watch BBC end-of-the-world apocalypse TV programs depicting the last desperate survivors offing each other with shovels and cricket bats, rather than more proper auto or at least semiauto firearms.

This Q&A from the site is amusing--

Q: Why did you do this ? What's in it for you ?

As we explained in our introduction, it's a case of a journalist and an academic working on the inadequacies of simple left-right political identities.

We have no ideological or institutional baggage. The satisfaction has been in generating media discussion, and receiving thoughtful comments and so much enthusiasm from web visitors.

Anyone claiming to carry no ideological baggage is either lying, delusional, dead, or seriously lacking in self-insight!

Edited January 11, 2012 by Lester Weevils

[Guest pfries]

Is it just me or are a majority scoring closer to center than they would have thought?

[Caster]

ec=5.75

soc=3.13

Although I answered truthfully, I'm not sure I really care. I'm slowly losing my will to give two wags of a rat's Δ§§ about politics or the carryings on of man. Not to be mislabeled as apathy, I just really have lost my will to care in the last year or two.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Is it just me or are a majority scoring closer to center than they would have thought?

Well the scale supposedly is designed with sufficient headroom to display the likes of Hitler, Stalin and Mao.

Perhaps more alarming is that a Brit-designed test is measuring so many USA right-wing gun nuts anywhere near the middle!

[Guest lostpass]

I find it interesting that most people here are closer to the center than Obama. Because Obama rates as more conservative....

Which is doubly interesting because this was back in '08. If they ran the analysis again Obama would be farther right. That doesn't seem quite right to me on an emotional level but objectively...

Not sure how valid the test is but I bet it says something about how you perceive others based on media representations.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

[h=2]Economic Left/Right: 8.88

Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -2.41[/h]bottom right on the chart

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I find it interesting that most people here are closer to the center than Obama. Because Obama rates as more conservative....

Which is doubly interesting because this was back in '08. If they ran the analysis again Obama would be farther right. That doesn't seem quite right to me on an emotional level but objectively...

Not sure how valid the test is but I bet it says something about how you perceive others based on media representations.

Those are great points!

John McCain seems scored crazy too far right and authoritarian.

And then there is Bob Barr scoring authoritarian. Bob doesn't care how many goats his neighbors have sex with, and ought to have scored at least below the centerline.

[Guest lostpass]

I was skeptical of the test but it did hit AR right on the head!

This why I don't worry about Ron Paul (RON PAUL!) when you get someone with strong principles their personal beliefs don't really come into to play. I like the idea of knowing what my elected officials will do.

[Guest uofmeet]

[gregintenn]

Your political compass

Economic Left/Right: 4.00

Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -1.08

Whadda ya know!??!? I'm right there with Milt Friedman.

Edited January 11, 2012 by gregintenn

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I was skeptical of the test but it did hit AR right on the head!

This why I don't worry about Ron Paul (RON PAUL!) when you get someone with strong principles their personal beliefs don't really come into to play. I like the idea of knowing what my elected officials will do.

You got me pegged, I guess.

Edited January 11, 2012 by 6.8 AR

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Actually my results are a bit different from the Nolan test. The trouble with what you said is that one with strong principles, usually those principles form their personal beliefs.

Unless I misunderstood you.

[wjh2657]

Pretty much dead on!

[gnmwilliams]

Economic Left/Right: 3.6

Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: .25

[kieefer]

Economic Left/Right: 3.75

Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 1.54

In company with Angela Merkel

[Just2Honor]

2.12 and -.31. I had a problem with questions that used the term "government" because I feel very differently about the Federal Gov't versus State or local government. My score would probably be different if I took two tests--both spelling out a different level of government.