I came across this online questionnaire that asks you for your opinion on various issues and then lets you know how well you align with the various candidates running for president in the different policy areas and overall. It is more sophisticated than most such things since it not only asks you for multiple choice responses to various questions, it also asks you how strongly you feel about the issue. What I particularly liked was that it provides more nuanced options if you don’t find the first pair of binary options satisfactory, which I often didn’t.
These things, and the larger number of questions, make responding take more time than usual but not too burdensome (especially for a retired person like me!). It took me about 20 minutes. Surprisingly, there was only one science question, about funding for space travel so alignment on science is pretty meaningless.
I did the survey and the main results are not that surprising, though I aligned lower with John Kasich than I would have expected, even below Huckabee and Cruz, and he and Carson were almost equal. I was surprised by how much I aligned with Huckabee since I really loathe him.
It graphically places your views on a bi-axial graph. No surprise there.
On bipolar axes of various issues, I valued privacy over security, socialism over capitalism, pacifism over militarism, isolationism over imperialism, big government over small, environmentalism over anthropocentrism, and progressive over traditional. Again, no surprise.
The questions show some bias. For example: Would you support increasing taxes on the rich in order to reduce interest rates for student loans?
Is that really the only way to tie together an expense and a source of funds? Suppose I wanted to reduce loan rates by taxing the poor more? Or to raise tax rates across the board? Or suppose I thought it was more important to reduce the amount of student loans by increasing grants and scholarships, rather than just reduce the interest rates?
If you click “Other stances” you can find a few more options, but not always one you can agree with.
Brrrp. Their list of options includes people who are not even running. Elizabeth Warren, Howard Dean, Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin, for examples.
My results are in.
Clinton 99%
Sanders 99%
…
Ted Cruz 4%
Rubio 4%
The highest % I got for any Republican is Rand Paul and Jon Kasich at 28%. However, it also says I agree with Carson on some “science issues”, which seems unlikely.
I’m surprised at my 92% match to Hillary Clinton. She’d be appalled at my support for BDS.
Mano, in terms of % agreement with our top three candidates and location on the ideology graph we are apparently non-identical twins!
You and I scored higher for Hillary Clinton compared to O’Malley? That’s surprising. I always thought O’Malley was quite progressive in comparison. Maybe I don’t know his other positions.
doublereed,
Yes, that is surprising because I would have voted for O’Malley over Clinton. As you say, there may be stands on issues that I am not too familiar with that drove his scores down.
Of course, with Clinton one my issues is that I don’t trust her stated positions.
I am really bothered by the lack of questions relating to #BlackLivesMatter. That this issue (which I do believe is incredibly important… black life is in a state of emergency, after all) is getting nothing despite being so visual kind of pisses me off. And I’ve emailed them about it, too, with no response whatsoever.
When I took it, I sided 94% with Bernie Sanders, 91% with HIllary Clinton, and 80% with Martin O’Malley. Next was Jim Webb, at 36%.
According to the political themes part, I’m a Multilateralist, Pacifist, Environmentalist, Populist, Collectivist, Isolationist, Progressive, Multiculturalist, Socialist, and Protectionist. And I support Regulation, Big Government, Privacy, Centralization, Keynesian economics, and a Tender approach to criminals.
Obviously, I’m left-wing.
Wait a minute? How come I’m said to side with Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson and Ted Cruz on Science Issues?????
And that site calls me a left-wing authoritarian? Do they even know what authoritarians are? Algorithms were more respectful in my time, I tell you!
laurentweppe, the explanation is rather obvious and prominent in the OP, so (for me) your sarcasm falls flat.
Interesting. I came out as a dead heat, Clinton and Sanders, both 84%. In third was… Trump, with whom I apparently 64% agree, and BEHIND HIM O’Malley on 62. Carly Fiorina and Jim Webb were last on 31 and 21 respectively. Those are quite high numbers, which suggests (to me) that my views are mixed or apathetic enough that I don’t violently disagree with anyone.
On the two axis graph I’m slightly below and to the right of the position shown for MS in the post, although still left of centre and only just below the centreline, above the line for “legislated equality”.
The most interesting point (to someone other than myself) about my result is Trump inserting himself between the Democrats. Still think he’s got no chance?
Since I live in the UK, I took the UK version. Humourously, I turn out to be most closely aligned with the Labour party as represented by Ed Milliband -- who resigned as leader over seven months ago. No sign of current leader Jeremy Corbyn, and I question whether I’d be as closely aligned to the party under him since I’m not banging on left hand side of the graph.
Predictably the order of the rest was Lib-Dems-under-Clegg (remember him? Me neither), Greens, Conservatives, UKIP. Mainly the UK version seems hopelessly out of date, pretending as it does that the British National Party are (a) still led by Nick Griffin, who was expelled from the party in 2014, and (b) in any way relevant to British politics.
specialffrog, #4
C’mon, admit it. You think they kept grain in them, don’t you? : p
Thanks Mano Singham. FWIW I get :
Candidates you side with…
99% Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton Democratic
on social, domestic policy, environmental, healthcare, foreign policy, immigration, science, economic, education, and electoral issues.
98% Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders Democratic
on social, environmental, domestic policy, healthcare, foreign policy, science, immigration, economic, education, and electoral issues.
87% Martin O’Malley
Martin O’Malley Democratic
on social, domestic policy, healthcare, foreign policy, science, immigration, education, economic, and electoral issues.
65% John Kasich
John Kasich Republican
on environmental, science, and immigration issues.
55% Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush Republican
on science, healthcare, and immigration issues.
21% Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz Republican
on science and immigration issues.
21% Donald Trump
Donald Trump Republican
on economic issues.
13% Ben Carson
Ben Carson Republican
on science and immigration issues.
12% Rand Paul
Rand Paul Republican
on immigration issues.
***
But I’m pretty sure Hillary Clinton is going to win regardless of what I want -- and yegods and FSM help us if a Republican somehow manages to become POTUS this year!
@8. Mano Singham :“Of course, with Clinton one my issues is that I don’t trust her stated positions.”
Why not, please?
___
Incidentally, I side according to this towards Regulation, big government, multicultralism, Keynesianism, collectivism, populsinm and tender.
Although I must admit some of my results here baffle me and aren’t really what i think too. Agree with pretty much any and every Republican on Science (& immigration?) I do NOT!
Very relieved to report that I agree with Donald Trump on absolutely nothing.
Bernie and Hillary: 96%
O’Mally 83%
Kasich 46%
Bush 43%
Paul 34 % (I’m less of an isolationist than Mano)
Cruz 33%
Huckabee 33%
Carson 21%
Fiorina 16%
Trump 23% (but this assumes Trump won’t change his opinion tomorrow)
StevoR @#16,
Because her current positions on key issues are quite recent compared with those of Sanders. Don’t take my word for it. here’s Joe Biden on the issue of income inequality. The same is true for gay rights and Wall Street reform.
I was only asked one question on science, and that was on space travel (I’m for it). That had this site stating I’m an ally with anti-science candidates like Ben Carson; in spite of my being a fierce opponent regarding the many ways the GOP attack science and oppose policy based on science.
I also wasn’t given the opportunity to receive more questions on science either.
Reginald Selkirk, the positions presented aim to capture those of the candidates rather than the range of positions possible or the range that exists in the population. Several of the more detailed options one gets when requesting “Other stances’ are based on quotes from individual candidates.
(I’m 98% Sanders, 94% Clinton)
@20. Mano Singham : Okay, thanks. I don’t necessarily agree with Biden and you here though.