# Where Are You on the Political Compass **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 9, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631 "2010-10-09T19:45:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/21 "2010-10-10T00:40:38Z")
Economic Left/Right: -4.88 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.13 ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/22 "2010-10-10T00:53:41Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > There are a couple things wrong with the test There are many things wrong with it. People treat this particular “compass” like it is some official breakdown of political stances, but it’s just one of many possible ways of expanding the traditional one-dimensional scales, such as left vs. right, into two dimensions. And whether two dimensions are enough to usefully distinguish all the various schools of thought is debatable. But it is difficult to make nice little charts about things which have more than two dimensions ;). Anyway, two dimensions are better than one, I’ll concede that. ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/23 "2010-10-10T00:58:08Z")
Economic Left/Right: +0.50 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: +0.51 Either I’m almost dead center or really wishy-washy. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/24 "2010-10-10T01:01:15Z")
Fascinating! EL/R: -4.88 SL/A: -6.05 ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/25 "2010-10-10T01:03:11Z")
Economic Left/Right: -1.62 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.54 I suspect I’m a bit more centrist-to-slightly right leaning economically than this result suggests, due to the poorly worded questions and such. Though, who knows–I consider myself an economic pragmatist; maybe that translates to just slightly left of center. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/26 "2010-10-10T01:45:15Z")
Economic Left/Right: 4.50 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -2.46 ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/27 "2010-10-10T02:32:02Z")
Economic Left/Right: -0.88 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.18 Absolutely terribly designed questions. Many of them are extremely period-specific; good questions should have relevance regardless of when they are taken. I fail to see how my view of religion and sex has anything to do with my political philosophy. I could think premarital is always a sin and yet not care about how the secular government treats it because the punishment is in the next life. The “World’s shortest political quiz” has much more appropriate questions, even if it’s far simpler, and uses the same basic scale. It tests for much more general libertarian/statist ideas than some of the rather specific questions of this one that tend to muddle the point. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/28 "2010-10-10T02:33:46Z")
Economic Left/Right: -0.62 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -6.31 ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/29 "2010-10-10T03:44:20Z")
39 degrees 21 minutes north. 106 degrees 3 minutes west. Just waitin’ for that smart bomb. Opps, wrong compass. Economic Left/Right: -4.38 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -6.26 I’m a little to the right of, and a bit below Gandhi. Now I’m dying to work that into a conversation sometime. Some of the questions where silly, and poorly worded, but you **Ludovic** , you’re no fun at all. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/30 "2010-10-10T04:06:01Z")
Economic Left/Right: -4.00 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.31 Right near **Qadgop**. What a surprise. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/31 "2010-10-10T05:06:01Z")
Economic Left/Right: 8.88 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.18 ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/32 "2010-10-10T05:22:10Z")
We all did this a few years ago, didn’t we? I can’t find the link to my previous results, but I’d be very interested in how it compares to my current score: Economic Left/Right: -5.25 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.49 I seem to recall my previous results being slightly more to the left, but I’m not surprised to see that I’m firmly centered in leftist/libertarian territory. I’d be ever so grateful if someone could find the old link. Note that it is different than the one Dr. Love gave. ETA: The closest guy to me is the Dalai Lama 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/33 "2010-10-10T05:25:40Z")
Economic Left/Right: -4.50 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.08 ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/34 "2010-10-10T05:45:11Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > We all did this a few years ago, didn’t we? I can’t find the link to my previous results, but I’d be very interested in how it compares to my current score: > > Economic Left/Right: -5.25 > Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.49 > > I seem to recall my previous results being slightly more to the left, but I’m not surprised to see that I’m firmly centered in leftist/libertarian territory. > > I’d be ever so grateful if someone could find the old link. Note that it is different than the one Dr. Love gave. > > ETA: The closest guy to me is the Dalai Lama 🙂 [FOUND IT! **Great Debates. August 18, 2008**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=479987&highlight=compass) My post is #14 in that thread, and my score then was: Economic Left/Right: -5.25 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -6.00 So, after 2 years and 2 months I am exactly the lefty today I was then, but have become slightly less libertarian. How’s that for consistency? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/35 "2010-10-10T05:50:23Z")
-4, -5.18 ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/36 "2010-10-10T05:55:11Z")
Linking to my current results for posterity: [Clicky](http://www.politicalcompass.org/printablegraph?ec=-5.25&soc=-5.49) ---
**Author:** ![ratmanizhere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b5ac83/32.png) [@ratmanizhere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratmanizhere)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/37 "2010-10-10T08:59:37Z")
Economic Left/Right -2.88 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian -4.56 ---
**Author:** ![Dero\_von\_Hesse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@Dero\_von\_Hesse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dero_von_Hesse)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/38 "2010-10-10T14:42:35Z")
Economic Left/Right: -8.12 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -0.10 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/39 "2010-10-10T14:55:46Z")
Using the link provided early on, I got Economic Left/Right: -6.38 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.21 I also got the impulse to throw popcorn at OPs who can’t be arsed to provide information making their threads intelligible. And there were several important issues that I feel were not addressed. In short I think the test is bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631/40 "2010-10-10T14:56:54Z")
Economic Left/Right: -4.88 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.36 I am neighbors with the Dalai Lama. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-on-the-political-compass/556631.md?page=3)