# What Pew Political Type are You? Which type is the best type? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 2, 2026, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558 "2026-06-02T03:36:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2026, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/61 "2026-06-02T18:58:32Z")
I opened two tabs, answering the question one way in tab 1 and the other way in tab 2. There were a few other questions on which I diverged due to multiple ways the question could be read or the subject matter contemplated. I was unable to get a result at the end. Got an error message “You must answer at least four questions, do you want to wipe out everything you chose and start over?” ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2026, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/62 "2026-06-02T18:58:51Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > the bulk of the base for someone like Xavier Becerra would instead be the ones staying home That’s probably not a good example as Becerra will almost certainly pay some lip service to progressive politics (loosely defined). It’s California - the line between “progressive” and “establishment liberal” in heavily-populated Democratic strongholds like the SF Bay Area and the Los Angeles Basin are pretty blurry. Even now while Steyer is saying the right things there is still a bit of a tinge of anti-billionaire sentiment among many progressives - some of those attack ads focusing on Steyer’s past investments in for-profit prisons have bite (Steyer claims to be regretful and repentant on that). But I agree you may have a point generally, but it gets very complicated when you are balancing national elections in purple states. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2026, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/63 "2026-06-02T19:18:59Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > ar left as these particular progressives. Sounds like democracy is working Not in the slightest. Every attempt to study the problem indicates that the opinion on the voters has very little impact on policy and that wealthy interests have an overwhelming impact on policy. The Democratic wealthy interests are a little more sane and want a functioning society, the Republican wealthy interests want to burn it all down and see if they can accumulate the biggest pile of ashes. But the Democrats hardly do anything that makes life better for the average person. They are a center right party chasing an extreme right party to the right. When people are polled almost everyone supports policies left of the Democratic party and that includes Republicans. The idea that the Republicans and Democrats are an example of well functioning democracy is pretty absurd. Especially given… _Gestures at everything_ ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2026, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/64 "2026-06-02T19:38:09Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Every attempt to study the problem indicates that the opinion on the voters has very little impact on policy and that wealthy interests have an overwhelming impact on policy. I don’t think that’s remotely true, so maybe you can cite one of these studies? Or by “every attempt to study the problem” do you mean “the incredibly flawed and widely criticized 2014 study by Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page”? > [@SenorBeef](#): > > But the Democrats hardly do anything that makes life better for the average person. This is claim is laughable. Whenever the Democrats have been in control of the government, they have passed legislation that makes life much better for the average person. The Affordable Care Act, the Child Tax Credit, infrastructure bills, prescription drug pricing reforms, etc etc etc… the Democrats do plenty to make life better for the average person. > [@SenorBeef](#): > > They are a center right party chasing an extreme right party to the right. I know that “Democrats would be right wing in Europe!!1!1!1!1!elevenZOMG!!!1!!” is a popular meme but it’s also completely false. The Democrats are not a center right party nor are they chasing the Republicans to the right. > [@SenorBeef](#): > > The idea that the Republicans and Democrats are an example of well functioning democracy is pretty absurd. Of course, that wasn’t what I said, but nice strawman. What I said was that Democrats taking positions that represent most Democratic voters rather than fringe positions favored by non-voting “progressives” is indeed democracy working as intended. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2026, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/65 "2026-06-02T19:43:54Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I hate simplified 2 answer tests like this without nuance. I gave up quickly on it. Ditto. I only had a clear answer to one out of the first four, and gave up. It’s not just a matter of which one is closer. It’s a matter also of ‘depends on what you mean by that’ and of ‘both of these are true’. > [@Gyrate](#): > > For example, asking whether corporations make “too much profit” is pointless Especially since a “corporation” can be anything from Walmart to the couple down the road selling cookies made in their house with their own hands. And genuinely worrying whether they’ll be able to pay the mortgage. > [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > It’s like the (infamous IMHO) question that pollsters ask about whether or not you think the country is “going in the right direction”, leaving no room for clarification on if you think think things should be going more to the left or more to the right Lately I’ve been seeing reports on a survey about whether people think the USA has declining moral values. As near as I can tell, they never say what they mean by moral values. > [@AHunter3](#): > > I rather immediately lock up on the first question: “Define ‘services’”. There are a multitude of things I wish the government did, or did more of. There are also a multitude of things the government does that I want to bring to an end. And Yeah. My immediate reaction to that was “which services?” and my second reaction was that for some services what I want them to do is to actually fund and perform what they’re theoretically already supposed to be doing. > [@Babale](#): > > The instructions do, in fact, address this: > > _You may find some of these questions are difficult to answer. That’s OK. In those cases, pick the answer that comes closest to your view, even if it isn’t exactly right._ And, as I said, that doesn’t in any way answer “I don’t know what you mean by that question. Which services or potential services?” Or, for that matter, “both of these things are equally true.” ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2026, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/66 "2026-06-02T20:00:07Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > It’s not just a matter of which one is closer. It’s a matter also of ‘depends on what you mean by that’ and of ‘both of these are true’. Some are just badly-written. Like the one with possible answers, “the US is the greatest nation”, or “the US is among the greatest nations”, or “there are other nations better than the US”. If you are picking the second option, then you are also automatically picking the third option, because if you’re not saying it’s the #1 best, then obviously _somebody_ is better. And there was no option to say it was among the worst, or the worst. Someone who knew what they were doing would give these answers: 1. The US is the worst nation. 2. The US is among the best nations. 3. The US is neither great nor bad compared to other nations. 4. The US is among the worst nations. 5. The US is the worst nation. There was also no explanation by what you were basing that opinion on. You might say that, say, the US is the “greatest” in power, combining economic and military power with global influence, but among the “worst” in being corrupt, restricting citizens’ rights, and mistreating other nations. Those opinions are not in contrast, and either one could be used to answer the question. It’s just not a very good quiz in general. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2026, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/67 "2026-06-02T21:09:29Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > If you are picking the second option, then you are also automatically picking the third option, because if you’re not saying it’s the #1 best, then obviously _somebody_ is better. I took option #2 to mean there is an N-way tie among nations. In other words: 1. Greatest 2. Tied for greatest 3. Not greatest ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2026, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/68 "2026-06-02T21:35:24Z")
I agree that the modality of the poll is deeply flawed, and would benefit from non-binary choices, or at least some sort of ranked/sliding scale option. So, _at_ most it seems to be a broad brush of overlaps, while missing all real nuance. Still, not fighting the hypothetical, it identifies me as an Establishment Liberal for what it’s worth. [self censoring a huge diatribe on why it largely ties back to a binary solution, and doesn’t effectively talk about how that’s a fundamentally broken POV given how much wealth and propaganda has broken the rule of law] ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2026, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/69 "2026-06-02T21:41:53Z")
Progressive Left. I can deal with that. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2026, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/70 "2026-06-02T21:51:16Z")
Unfortunately, Voter Who Thinks Pew’s Categories Are Bullshit wasn’t an option. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2026, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/71 "2026-06-02T22:00:56Z")
> [@CaveMike](#): > > I took option #2 to mean there is an N-way tie among nations. > > In other words: > > 1. Greatest > 2. Tied for greatest > 3. Not greatest A properly-written quiz might actually **say** something like that. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2026, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/72 "2026-06-02T23:38:52Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Like the one with possible answers, “the US is the greatest nation”, or “the US is among the greatest nations”, or “there are other nations better than the US > [@Atamasama](#): > > The US is among the best nations. Those two are nearly the same. ---
**Author:** ![Meatwater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meatwater/32/20074_2.png) [@Meatwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatwater)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/73 "2026-06-03T00:11:47Z")
Yeah the test lacks nuance but I got **Progressive Left** No one asked but I have been described as a Social Anarchist by someone much smarter, which checks out. So it seemed to get the general pool correct. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/74 "2026-06-03T00:31:41Z")
“Democratic Mainstay,” which is not what I expected at all. Tripler Not a very good “test.” ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2026, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/75 "2026-06-04T15:23:35Z")
Establishment Liberal. Probably about correct. Of course it is simplistic, as pretty much any set of boxes to shove us all in will be. But lacking nuance doesn’t bother me - which way we pick between two poor fit options _can_ be meaningful. Doesn’t have to be. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2026, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/76 "2026-06-10T19:46:46Z")
Pew has updated their political typology test. > **[Political Typology](https://www.pewresearch.org/collections/political-typology/)** > > Political Typology The political typology uses survey data to classify the American public into nine political groups based on responses to 30 questions about their political values and beliefs. The… Taking the new quiz, I got Loyal Liberal, which sounds right once more. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2026, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/77 "2026-06-10T20:07:40Z")
Now I am a leftward progressive. Not so sure but I am more sympathetic to progressive positions than I once was … ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2026, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/78 "2026-06-10T21:51:40Z")
Came out Establishment Liberal on the first, which is not that shocking. I think of myself as progressive-leaning on things like social values, but my pragmatism/cynicism tends to override my ideals. In the new I’m in with the Left-Out Left which feels more accurate as a term, but I’m not sure if the connotations match up. Some my answers speak to a philosophical world view that doesn’t align with a simple political quiz (is any country treated “fairly” in this world?). Of course as constructed it still leaves a lot to be desired, but I feel it is marginally better than the last one. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2026, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/79 "2026-06-10T21:59:58Z")
My results (amusingly) match **Tamerlane** ’s, I went from “Establishment Liberal” to “Left-Out Left”, probably due to my extreme despair over not Only MAGA, but failures for Democrats to come together, and the extreme tragedy that a slim _majority_ of those who **bothered** to vote in 2024 came together to do so for Trump a second time. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2026, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558/80 "2026-06-10T22:07:41Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > In the new I’m in with the Left-Out Left which feels more accurate as a term Same here. One question was tough, about open carry of firearms- a discrete holstered handgun would not freak me out (since this is CA, it would be unusual in the city), but those morons carrying a AR15 in Walmart certainly does. > **[Left-Out Left](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/06/10/left-out-left/)** > > Democratic-leaning, with a mix of liberal and moderate views and limited confidence in the parties and the political system. **Though Left-Out Left have a clear Democratic tilt, most are not strongly tied to the Democratic Party.** But I have been a Lifelong member of the Democratic party. weird [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-pew-political-type-are-you-which-type-is-the-best-type/1030558.md?page=5)