Two axes of political values
Many political quizzes use two axes instead of one, because views on the economy and views on social change don't always line up. MindScale's economy axis runs from markets and individual choice leading to a bigger role for government. The society axis runs from keeping tradition to favouring change.
The four corners of those two axes give four outlooks, and answers near the middle of both give a fifth, centrist. These are broad outlooks, not party labels, and no outlook is better or worse than another.
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Economic outlook
Who should lead on the economy: markets and individual choice, or government playing a bigger role.
- Toward the high end
- People here lean toward a bigger role for government in the economy: shared services, rules for business and help for people who fall behind.
- Around the middle
- People here mix both views: markets for some things, government for others, depending on the question.
- Toward the low end
- People here lean toward markets and individual choice: lower taxes, fewer rules and people keeping more of what they earn.
Social outlook
How society should change: keeping tradition and established ways, or favouring social change.
- Toward the high end
- People here lean toward social change: updating customs and institutions as society and its values move on.
- Around the middle
- People here value some traditions and welcome some changes, weighing each one on its own merits.
- Toward the low end
- People here lean toward tradition: keeping the customs, institutions and ways of life that have stood the test of time.
How scoring works
Each statement has five response choices. They contribute from 1 to 5 points to the scale they describe, and every scale is converted to a position from 0 to 100. The position describes where the answers sit on that scale; it is not a percentile or a comparison with other people.
The two positions are plotted as economic and social axes. A point near the middle can be called centrist; otherwise the closest corner gives the outlook, with a nearby corner shown when the point is close to an axis line.
The benefits of knowing your outlook
Placing your views on two axes can show where they're more mixed than a single label suggests: someone can favour markets on the economy and change in society, or the reverse.
Seeing the economy and social change as two separate questions can also make other people's views easier to understand, even when you don't share them.
Political outlooks in everyday life
Outlooks help most in conversations: knowing that a disagreement is about the role of government, or about the pace of change, can make it easier to find what you do agree on.
Views also change over time and with experience, so a result describes where your answers sit today.
How to take the test
MindScale's political identity test has 28 statements and no time limit. Choose the response that best matches how you usually are, not how you would like to be.
You can go back and change an answer. When you finish, you can unlock your score and full report: $2.95 for 7 days of full access, then $29.95 every 4 weeks until you cancel.
Your score and full report: $2.95 for 7 days of full access, then $29.95 every 4 weeks until you cancel.
Conclusion
MindScale describes political values on two axes, the economy and social change, which give five outlooks: progressive, libertarian, conservative, communitarian and centrist. Each has its own priorities and its own critics.
If you'd like to see where your answers sit, the MindScale political identity test has 28 statements. It is for adults 18 and over, and the price is shown before you start.
See your own result
Your score and full report: $2.95 for 7 days of full access, then $29.95 every 4 weeks until you cancel.