# Making a map of dopers' political opinions **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 15, 2002, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968 "2002-12-15T22:53:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/81 "2002-12-17T18:14:23Z")
1. A 2. D 3. D 4. D 5. D 6. D 7. D 8. D 9. D 10. A 11. no opinion 12. no opinion 13. D 14. D 15. no opinion 16. no opinion 17. D 18. D 19. D 20. D 21. A 22. D 23. D 24. D 25. A 26. D 27. A 28. A 29. D 30. D 31. D 32. A 33. D 34. D 35. D 36. no opinion 37. D 38. A 39. A 40. A 41. A 42. no opinion ---
**Author:** ![Blueapple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Blueapple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blueapple)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/82 "2002-12-18T00:11:43Z")
1. **DISAGREE** 2. **DISAGREE** 3. **AGREE** 4. **DISAGREE** 5. **DISAGREE** 6. **AGREE** 7. **SOMEWHAT AGREE** 8. **DISAGREE** 9. **NEED MORE INFO** 10. **NEED MORE INFO** 11. **DISAGREE** 12. **DISAGREE** 13. **DISAGREE** 14. **DISAGREE** 15. **DISAGREE** 16. **NOT SURE** 17. **DISAGREE** 18. **DISAGREE** 19. **DISAGREE** 20. **DISAGREE (I don’t ‘enjoy’ it, but it is good to know you are helping the environment)** 21. **AGREE** 22. **DISAGREE** 23. **DISAGREE** 24. **DISAGREE** 25. **DISAGREE** 26. **DISAGREE** 27. **DISAGREE** 28. **DISAGREE** 29. **DISAGREE** 30. **AGREE** 31. **DISAGREE** 32. **AGREE** 33. **DISAGREE** 34. **DISAGREE** 35. **DISAGREE (something can be very good and the best thing to use, yet its still ugly** 36. **DISAGREE** 37. **DISAGREE** 38. **DISAGREE** 39. **DISAGREE** 40. **AGREE** 41. **AGREE (efficient, yes, but perhaps not best system)** 42. **AGREE** BTW, when will the data be compiled? ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/83 "2002-12-18T00:50:54Z")
Just a note for the people who are discussing these rather than putting agree/disagree. Nobody’s going to read what you have to say, and you’re just making more work for the person who compiles the data. If you feel strongly about it, you might be better off putting in another thread. 1. D 2. D 3. D 4. A 5. D 6. A 7. D 8. D 9. A 10. A 11. D 12. D 13. D 14. D 15. A 16. A 17. D 18. D 19. D 20. A 21. A 22. A 23. D 24. D 25. A 26. D 27. D 28. A 29. A 30. A 31. D 32. A 33. A 34. D 35. A 36. D 37. D 38. D 39. D 40. A 41. D 42. A ---
**Author:** ![TVGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TVGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/84 "2002-12-18T01:02:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Achernar \* > \*\*Just a note for the people who are discussing these rather than putting agree/disagree. Nobody’s going to read what you have to say, and you’re just making more work for the person who compiles the data. If you feel strongly about it, you might be better off putting in another thread. > \*\* …but that’s not NEARLY as fun!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/85 "2002-12-18T04:36:26Z")
1. D 2. D 3. D 4. D 5. D 6. A 7. D 8. D 9. A 10. D 11. A 12. D 13. D 14. D 15. D 16. D 17. D 18. D 19. D 20. D 21. D 22. A 23. A 24. A 25. A 26. D 27. D 28. A 29. D 30. A 31. D 32. D 33. D 34. D 35. D 36. D 37. D 38. D 39. D 40. A 41. A 42. A ---
**Author:** ![cart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ec8ea/32.png) [@cart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cart)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/86 "2002-12-18T13:57:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ray20 \* > \*\*I’m suprised we have so many 30s & 31s without ANY 2s. How’s that work? > \*\* It’s down to how the questions are worded. Question 30 and 31 basically ask if there is any merit at all in modified Socialism/Communism, not whether pure versions represent the ideal political system. Question 2 represents a feature of un-tweaked Communism. By contrast, question 42 asks if unchecked Capitalism is the best possible system - not whether there is anything to be said for it at all. Probably more people will agree with 30 than with 42, but those who prefer Communism to Capitalism will probably be in the minority. > [@](#): > > \*\*Thanks for all the responses so far. \*\* No problem, it’s a good opportunity to state opinions without having to back them up with facts. > [@](#): > > \*\*I’m going to do one more round of this with better questions. Please feel free to suggest any. \*\* I think that most of the questions need re-wording to take away their ambiguity. Probably because you took them away from their contexts in the original thread, many of them have several possible meanings. This will spoil your results as different people will effectively be answering different questions. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/87 "2002-12-18T14:12:14Z")
1. People shouldn’t automatically have the right to reproduce DISAGREE 2. Abolish private ownership of income-generating property DISAGREE 3. Most prisons should be closed; give the inmates jobs and counseling DISAGREE 4. Armies should be replaced by lightly armed border guards DISAGREE 5. Fortunes over a million dollars should be confiscated DISAGREE 6. National forests should be offlimits to logging DISAGREE 7. Move to a hydrogen economy DISAGREE 8. People should be allowed to bill companies for time spent on hold DISAGREE 9. Kids of convicts should receive mentoring, tutoring, scholarships, etc AGREE (but vague question) 10. Low income seniors should get free drugs AGREE 11. The world’s institutions are patriarchal (based on male authority) AGREE 12. There is no such thing as “mental illness” DISAGREE 13. There’s no need for a hierarchy of people having authority over others DISAGREE 14. We are weakening our species by allowing defective specimens to survive DISAGREE 15. Spend $ on expansion (into space, oceans) not internal problems DISAGREE (vague) 16. Reach out toward the stars before the earth is rendered unlivable DISAGREE (vague) 17. Guns should be encouraged, and shooting skills should be taught in schools DISAGREE 18. Property tax should be abolished DISAGREE 19. Intellectual property laws hurt humanity as a whole DISAGREE 20. I enjoy riding on public transportation AGREE 21. It’s valid to not want to work AGREE (very vague) 22. God exists AGREE 23. Homosexual behavior is a sin DISAGREE 24. Heaven and Hell exist DISAGREE 25. Underage drinking is wrong DISAGREE 26. Prisons are too luxurious - make them do more hard labor DISAGREE 27. Affirmative Action is racist AGREE (vague) 28. There is no place for guns in a civilized society DISAGREE 29. Communism has some promise with a few tweaks here and there DISAGREE 30. Socialism has some promise with a few tweaks here and there DISAGREE 31. Ararchism has some promise with a few tweaks here and there DISAGREE 32. Libertarianism has some promise with a few tweaks here and there DISAGREE 33. There should be one world government DISAGREE (vague) 34. The government shouldn’t mess with the market AGREE 35. Industrial development, oil rigs, highways, etc aren’t ugly AGREE 36. We should exploit energy reserves in the ANWR AGREE 37. No cause justifies violence DISAGREE 38. No cause justifies vandalism AGREE 39. We should all leave each other completely alone as much as possible DISAGREE (vague) 40. Limiting our individual freedoms will not stop terrorism AGREE 41. Laisse-faire capitalism is the most efficient possible economic system DISAGREE 42. Society shouldn’t starve people into productivity AGREE (vague) I can’t believe this is a meaningful scientific instrument. ---
**Author:** ![Sebhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@Sebhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sebhal)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/88 "2002-12-18T14:15:11Z")
1. A 2. D 3. A 4. D 5. D 6. A 7. A 8. A 9. A 10. A 11. A 12. A 13. D 14. D 15. D 16. D 17. D 18. D D D D D! 19. D 20. A 21. D 22. A 23. D 24. D 25. D 26. D 27. A 28. A 29. A 30. A 31. A 32. D 33. D 34. D 35. D 36. A 37. ? 38. A 39. D 40. D 41. D 42. A 43. A I’ve just gone through this quite quickly and given more a gut reaction, hence please forgive any inconsistencies! N. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/89 "2002-12-18T14:55:17Z")
Some of these were _very_ weird. 1 d 2 d 3 d 4 n 5 d 7 a 8 ? 9 d 10 a 11 a 12 a 13 d strongly disagree ! 14 d 15 d 16 d 17 d 18 a 19 a 20 d 21 a 22 d 23 a 24 d 25 a 26 a 27 d 28 a 29 d 30 d 31 d 32 d 33 d 34 d 35 don’t know enough about it 36 a 37 d 38 d 39 d 40 d 41 a 42 d 43 d ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/90 "2002-12-18T15:20:58Z")
1-disagree(we need to kep our rights) 2-disagree 3-disagree!(some people need to be locked up) 4-disagree( no tans?) 5-disagre(ridiculous!) 7-undecided 8-uninformed 9-agree 10-maybe 11-agree 12-agree 13-disagree(there sure is) 14-agree! 15-disagree(who decides?) 16-disagree 17-disagree 18-agree 19-undecided 20-don’t know 21-I have to so- agree 22-disagree 23-agree completely 24-define behavior! 25-agree completely 26-wrong or harmless? 27-disagree 28-nope 29-disagree 30-disagree totally(I’m a Bircher!) 31-disagree, a republic is the way to go 32-disagree’ 33-agree 34-no way!(but there will be) 35-does it? 36-agree 37-agree(it s use, not exploit) 38-disagree(I am not a pacifist) 39-agree(laws should be obeyed) 40-disagree 41-disagree(but is it worth it?) 42-do not understand 43-does it? ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/91 "2002-12-18T18:13:19Z")
1. People shouldn’t automatically have the right to reproduce DISAGREE 2. Abolish private ownership of income-generating property DISAGREE 3. Most prisons should be closed; give the inmates jobs and counseling DISAGREE 4. Armies should be replaced by lightly armed border guards DISAGREE 5. Fortunes over a million dollars should be confiscated DISAGREE 6. National forests should be offlimits to logging AGREE 7. Move to a hydrogen economy I don’t know what this is. Exchanging hydrogen for goods and services? 8. People should be allowed to bill companies for time spent on hold DISAGREE 9. Kids of convicts should receive mentoring, tutoring, scholarships, etc DISAGREE 10. Low income seniors should get free drugs AGREE (with qualifiers - not all drugs) 11. The world’s institutions are patriarchal (based on male authority) DISAGREE (not all of them) 12. There is no such thing as “mental illness” DISAGREE 13. There’s no need for a hierarchy of people having authority over others DISAGREE 14. We are weakening our species by allowing defective specimens to survive DISAGREE 15. Spend $ on expansion (into space, oceans) not internal problems DISAGREE 16. Reach out toward the stars before the earth is rendered unlivable AGREE 17. Guns should be encouraged, and shooting skills should be taught in schools DISAGREE 18. Property tax should be abolished DISAGREE 19. Intellectual property laws hurt humanity as a whole DISAGREE 20. I enjoy riding on public transportation DISAGREE 21. It’s valid to not want to work AGREE 22. God exists AGREE 23. Homosexual behavior is a sin AGREE 24. Heaven and Hell exist AGREE 25. Underage drinking is wrong AGREE 26. Prisons are too luxurious - make them do more hard labor DISAGREE 27. Affirmative Action is racist AGREE 28. There is no place for guns in a civilized society AGREE 29. Communism has some promise with a few tweaks here and there DISAGREE 30. Socialism has some promise with a few tweaks here and there AGREE 31. Ararchism has some promise with a few tweaks here and there DISAGREE 32. Libertarianism has some promise with a few tweaks here and there DISAGREE 33. There should be one world government DISAGREE 34. The government shouldn’t mess with the market DISAGREE 35. Industrial development, oil rigs, highways, etc aren’t ugly DISAGREE 36. We should exploit energy reserves in the ANWR DISAGREE 37. No cause justifies violence DISAGREE 38. No cause justifies vandalism AGREE 39. We should all leave each other completely alone as much as possible DISAGREE 40. Limiting our individual freedoms will not stop terrorism AGREE 41. Laisse-faire capitalism is the most efficient possible economic system DISAGREE 42. Society shouldn’t starve people into productivity AGREE ---
**Author:** ![Engywook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bc8723/32.png) [@Engywook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Engywook)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/92 "2002-12-18T19:47:09Z")
I agree with: 1, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 17, 22, 28, 31, 34, 41, 43 For most of these questions, of course, a great deal more needs to be said than yes or no. Hope you’ll post any findings. ---
**Author:** ![Hazel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Hazel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazel)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/93 "2002-12-23T07:12:12Z")
Cart in the UK does not understand the term “property tax”. Does the UK not have property taxes? (Apologies for the off topic question.) ---
**Author:** ![Fang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/96bed5/32.png) [@Fang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fang)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/94 "2002-12-23T07:51:47Z")
1. D 2. D 3. D 4. D 5. D 6. A 7. A insofar as this is a technological/economic question - this shouldn’t be a political goal 8. D 9. D 10. D 11. Depends - many specific ones are, but generally democracies aren’t, and gov’ts aren’t inherently so 12. D 13. Depends how you define “authority”, but in general D 14. D 15. D 16. A 17. D 18. Depends what it’s being used for, and what other taxes exist - I’d rather have a property tax than an income tax, for instance 19. D 20. D - uh, who does? 21. in theory A, but don’t expect any money (or respect) from me (or anyone else) 22. A 23. D 24. D 25. D 26. D to the first, A to the second (i.e. I support prisoners having to labor, whether manually or intellectually if they can, but there should, e.g, be stronger controls against rape) 27. A 28. D 29. D 30. D 31. D 32. A 33. D 34. A 35. D - of course they’re ugly, but what does this have to do with politics? 36. D 37. D 38. A 39. A, if it’s what I think you’re getting at here (a libertarian angle) 40. A 41. A 42. D, though the phrasing of this question is way too loaded BTW, **ray20** , are you coming at this from a scientific perspective and/or background? I find your use of the phrase “opinion space” interesting, as I rarely hear people who aren’t scientists or mathematicians refer to “\_\_\_\_ space”, where “\_\_\_\_” is a word that doesn’t commonly come before “space”. ---
**Author:** ![Protesilaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Protesilaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Protesilaus)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/95 "2002-12-23T07:54:38Z")
1. Seems tempting at times, but disagree 2. Disagree 3. Disagree 4. Disagree 5. Disagree 6. Agree 7. I don’t know what this means. 8. I like the idea, but it seems impractical. I have to disagree. 9. Disagree 10. Disagree 11. Disagree 12. Disagree 13. Disagree 14. Disagree 15. Disagree 16. Agree 17. Disagree 18. Disagree 19. Disagree 20. Disagree 21. Disagree 22. Agree 23. Disagree 24. 25. Disagree 26. Disagree 27. Disagree 28. Agree 29. Strongly Disagree 30. Strongly Disagree 31. Strongly Disagree 32. Strongly Disagree 33. Disagree 34. Disagree 35. Disagree 36. 37. Disagree 38. Agree 39. Agree 40. Agree 41. Disagree 42. Agree ---
**Author:** ![Protesilaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Protesilaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Protesilaus)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/96 "2002-12-23T08:08:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Protesilaus \* > **29) Agree** I just want to clarify that this excludes the police and army. So if the question means they shouldn’t have guns either, then I disagree. ---
**Author:** ![Feynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@Feynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feynn)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/97 "2002-12-23T08:23:18Z")
1. D 2. D 3. D 4. D 5. D 6. D 7. A 8. D 9. D 10. A 11. A 12. D 13. D 14. D 15. D 16. D 17. D 18. A 19. A 20. A 21. A 22. D 23. D 24. D 25. A 26. A 27. A 28. D 29. A 30. A 31. D 32. A 33. D 34. A 35. D 36. D 37. D 38. A 39. D 40. A 41. - 42. A ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/98 "2002-12-23T09:09:05Z")
1)D 2) D 3) D 4) D 5) D 7) D 8) D 9) A 10) A 11) A 12) D 13) D 14) D 15) D 16) A 17) A 18) A 19) D 20) D 21) A 22) A 23) A (but this one, I think more than any other, is just a rough opinion) 24) D 25) D 26) D 27) D 28) A 29) D 30) A 31) A 32) A 33) A 34) D 35) D 36) A 37) D 38) D 39) D 40) D 41) A 42) D 43) D Of what use this is to you, I have absolutely no idea. My only half guess is that you might be trying the equivalent of a double-blind survey here. Bad Idea. Anyway, have fun making sense of all this:) ---
**Author:** ![okie4150](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4da419/32.png) [@okie4150](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/okie4150)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/99 "2002-12-24T01:57:53Z")
1. Disagree 2. Disagree 3. Disagree 4. Disagree 5. Disagree 6. Disagree 7. Disagree 8. Agree 9. Disagree 10. Agree 11. Disagree 12. Disagree 13. Disagree 14. Disagree 15. Disagree 16. Disagree 17. Agree 18. Agree 19. Agree 20. Disagree 21. Disagree 22. Agree 23. Agree 24. Agree 25. Agree 26. Agree 27. Agree 28. Disagree 29. Disagree 30. Disagree 31. Disagree 32. Agree 33. Disagree 34. Agree 35. Agree 36. Agree 37. Disagree 38. Agree 39. Agree 40. Agree 41. Agree 42. Disagree ---
**Author:** ![Toddly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@Toddly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toddly)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968/100 "2002-12-24T03:20:40Z")
I’ll chime in as well: 1. Disagree 2. Disagree 3. Disagree 4. Disagree 5. Disagree 6. Disagree 7. Disagree 8. Agree I am assuming we use less oil. 9. Disagree 10. Agree 11. Agree 12. Agree 13. Disagree 14. Disagree 15. Disagree 16. Disagree Not to the determent of society. 17. Agree 18. Disagree 19. Disagree 20. Disagree 21. Disagree 22. Disagree You just got to work, nothing is free. 23. Disagree 24. Disagree 25. Disagree I wish I knew. 26. Disagree 27. Disagree 28. Disagree 29. Disagree 30. Disagree 31. Disagree 32. Disagree 33. Disagree 34. Disagree 35. Disagree 36. Agree They are needed. 37. Disagree 38. Disagree 39. Disagree 40. Agree 41. Agree 42. Disagree You have to watch them so they are honest. 43. ??? Not sure what this means. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-map-of-dopers-political-opinions/142968.md?page=6)