Political Typologies

Pew research has broken the American political spectrum down into 8 groups. Which one do you fit into?

Steadfast Conservative: Your basic conservative. Supports economic freedom but is more skeptical on immigration and is conservative on social issues.

Business Conservative: Maintains skepticism of government power but holds a more positive view of immigration and is moderate or slightly liberal on social issues.

Young Outsider: Like business conservatives but definitely on the left for social issues. They favor republicans slightly over democrats.

Hard Pressed Skeptic: Favors the social safety net but not other areas of government. They are also anti-immigrant.

Next Generation Left: Basically the opposite of hard presses skeptics. Tend to be more business oriented and are much like young outsiders except for being less skeptical of government and favoring democrats over republicans.

Faith and Family Left: The polar opposite of young outsiders. They are religious, hold a positive view of government, and are socially conservative.

Solid liberal: Your run of the mill democrat. Believes that racism is currently holding minorities down

bystanders: Doesn't vote and don't follow politics all that much. In it for the memes and moves on with their daily lives.

This gives a bit more insight into what each of the groups believes in: The Political Typology: Beyond Red vs. Blue | Pew Research Center

WTF is "a more positive view of immigration"? I made a random poll selection (BC) - deal with it. At age 65 I did not feel like a "Young Outsider" fit. I support an eVerify mandate strictly enforced by IRS.

Masterhawk said:

Pew research has broken the American political spectrum down into 8 groups. Which one do you fit into?

Steadfast Conservative: Your basic conservative. Supports economic freedom but is more skeptical on immigration and is conservative on social issues.

Business Conservative: Maintains skepticism of government power but holds a more positive view of immigration and is moderate or slightly liberal on social issues.

Young Outsider: Like business conservatives but definitely on the left for social issues. They favor republicans slightly over democrats.

Hard Pressed Skeptic: Favors the social safety net but not other areas of government. They are also anti-immigrant.

Next Generation Left: Basically the opposite of hard presses skeptics. Tend to be more business oriented and are much like young outsiders except for being less skeptical of government and favoring democrats over republicans.

Faith and Family Left: The polar opposite of young outsiders. They are religious, hold a positive view of government, and are socially conservative.

Solid liberal: Your run of the mill democrat. Believes that racism is currently holding minorities down

bystanders: Doesn't vote and don't follow politics all that much. In it for the memes and moves on with their daily lives.

This gives a bit more insight into what each of the groups believes in: The Political Typology: Beyond Red vs. Blue | Pew Research Center

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First off, your description of some of those leave alot lacking. For example, here is your sources definition of solid Liberals:

Highly educated and affluent, Solid Liberals strongly support the social safety net and take very liberal positions on virtually all issues. Most say they always vote Democratic and they are unflagging supporters of Barack Obama. Solid Liberals are very optimistic about the nation’s future and are the most likely to say that America’s success is linked to its ability to change, rather than its reliance on long-standing principles. On foreign policy, Solid Liberals overwhelmingly believe that good diplomacy – rather than military strength – is the best way to ensure peace.

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For me, that is probably the closest, though I have aspects to my beliefs that take from all of them. I think the social safety net is important. I almost always vote democratic. I do favor diplomacy over military. However, a strong military is important, and there are times when it is necessary to use military force. I do not believe in the "main street vs wall street" paradigm, as I think both are important parts of America. I think when proposing changes, the first goal should be to do no harm, and the second goal should be to limit what is done based on practical considerations(for example, I think going Medicare for all is too disruptive, even if the program itself would be a good one eventually. The problem isn't that Medicare for all is bad, but that going from where we are not to there would cause too many unintended consequences). Most of all, and kinda related to the last point, I favor an incremental approach. Take small steps to improve, re-evaluate after a few years, and then take more small steps based on what we have learned. Always be working towards something better, but not so fast you accidentally make it worse.

The last of those, hands down.

ttwtt78640 said:

WTF is "a more positive view of immigration"? I made a random poll selection (BC) - deal with it. At age 65 I did not feel like a "Young Outsider" fit. I support an eVerify mandate strictly enforced by IRS.

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If you follow the link and check out the actual definitions of each, it is not a bad breakdown. The way the OP describes them just leaves something to be desired. I think you fall somewhere between a business conservative and a young outsider based on what I know of your positions, but none is going to be exactly any of these.

Compare Political Typology Groups | Pew Research Center

Business Conservatives are traditional small-government Republicans. Overwhelming percentages think that government is almost always wasteful and it does too much better left to businesses and individuals. Business Conservatives differ from Steadfast Conservatives in their strong support for Wall Street and business more generally. Most think that immigrants strengthen the country and take a positive view of U.S. global involvement. They are less socially conservative than Steadfast Conservatives.

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Compare Political Typology Groups | Pew Research Center

This relatively young, largely independent group holds a mix of conservative and liberal views. And while more lean toward the Republican Party than the Democratic Party, Young Outsiders express unfavorable opinions of both major parties. They are skeptical of activist government; a substantial majority views government as wasteful and inefficient. Yet they diverge from the two conservative typology groups – Steadfast Conservatives and Business Conservatives – in their strong support for the environment and many liberal social policies.

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Redress said:

If you follow the link and check out the actual definitions of each, it is not a bad breakdown. The way the OP describes them just leaves something to be desired. I think you fall somewhere between a business conservative and a young outsider based on what I know of your positions, but none is going to be exactly any of these.

Compare Political Typology Groups | Pew Research Center



Compare Political Typology Groups | Pew Research Center

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Thank you. Your observations appear to be spot on.

ttwtt78640 said:

WTF is "a more positive view of immigration"? I made a random poll selection (BC) - deal with it. At age 65 I did not feel like a "Young Outsider" fit. I support an eVerify mandate strictly enforced by IRS.

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Maybe you're a steadfast conservative.

Masterhawk said:

Maybe you're a steadfast conservative.

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Not on most social issues, for example I am against the "war on drugs" since the only thing which it achieved was the creation of a multi-billion dollar industry run entirely by and for criminals. You simply can't largely decriminalize demand and still expect supply to stop.

None of those really applies to me.

I am a hard core Democrat who normally takes very liberal positions except on life style issues where I tend to be rather conservative.

Call me a steadfast skeptic on immigration.

I am not for the free flow of invaders coming here illegally.

I am for fully vetted immigrants who are self sustaining and come here to be American.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

In the interest of fairness, Pew Research tends to do this every so often resulting in all kinds of debate on the methodology.

The OP's link to the happens to contain "take our quiz" link, characterized as "Where do you fit in the political typology?" and included below...

Political Typology Quiz | Pew Research Center

The other thing to keep in mind is these links are a few years old. The study itself was back in 2014, and the updated version of the "political typology" was in 2017. Looks like the quiz was based on various rounds of surveys between the two dates. The actual surveys went a little deeper with those participants resulting in the below conclusions...

Political Typology Reveals Deep Fissures on the Right and Left | Pew Research Center

They conclude that divisions on the left are just as interesting as divisions on the right, illustrating where those leans agree and do not agree.

The conclusions also reference Trump fairly often as at least a contributor to why we divide along these lines, and at the bottom of the report the typology has greatly changed since the original version going back to 1987.

There are plenty of subtle hints that our divisions are intentional, as they move votes around in the groups that lean one way or the other but are not solid Republicans or Democrats.

We can argue all day long on the method to get to where we all fit in the typology but at least with this level of research and response over the years we have plenty to discuss on how Pew got there.

(Note, Pew does this all the time... taking research that crosses all kinds of swim lanes depending on who is in charge at the time.)

OrphanSlug said:

...

The OP's link to the happens to contain "take our quiz" link, characterized as "Where do you fit in the political typology?" and included below...

Political Typology Quiz | Pew Research Center

...

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Holy **** that quiz is terrible.

Masterhawk said:

Pew research has broken the American political spectrum down into 8 groups. Which one do you fit into?

Steadfast Conservative: Your basic conservative. Supports economic freedom but is more skeptical on immigration and is conservative on social issues.

Business Conservative: Maintains skepticism of government power but holds a more positive view of immigration and is moderate or slightly liberal on social issues.

Young Outsider: Like business conservatives but definitely on the left for social issues. They favor republicans slightly over democrats.

Hard Pressed Skeptic: Favors the social safety net but not other areas of government. They are also anti-immigrant.

Next Generation Left: Basically the opposite of hard presses skeptics. Tend to be more business oriented and are much like young outsiders except for being less skeptical of government and favoring democrats over republicans.

Faith and Family Left: The polar opposite of young outsiders. They are religious, hold a positive view of government, and are socially conservative.

Solid liberal: Your run of the mill democrat. Believes that racism is currently holding minorities down

bystanders: Doesn't vote and don't follow politics all that much. In it for the memes and moves on with their daily lives.

This gives a bit more insight into what each of the groups believes in: The Political Typology: Beyond Red vs. Blue | Pew Research Center

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Oh, FFS.

I started answering the questions and couldn't take it after the third or 4th one. The "survey" is with regard to social justice, not political philosophy.

Redress said:

Holy **** that quiz is terrible.

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I did not think that much of it either, and I can see plenty of us worried about how they box in those ideologies even though Pew has been at that for years... decades even.

That said they took a stab at it to illustrate divisions within right and left leaning ideologies that we do know are there, even if they may be all over the board on how they phrase those divisions based on those terrible questions.

Masterhawk said:

Pew research has broken the American political spectrum down into 8 groups. Which one do you fit into?

Steadfast Conservative: Your basic conservative. Supports economic freedom but is more skeptical on immigration and is conservative on social issues.

Business Conservative: Maintains skepticism of government power but holds a more positive view of immigration and is moderate or slightly liberal on social issues.

Young Outsider: Like business conservatives but definitely on the left for social issues. They favor republicans slightly over democrats.

Hard Pressed Skeptic: Favors the social safety net but not other areas of government. They are also anti-immigrant.

Next Generation Left: Basically the opposite of hard presses skeptics. Tend to be more business oriented and are much like young outsiders except for being less skeptical of government and favoring democrats over republicans.

Faith and Family Left: The polar opposite of young outsiders. They are religious, hold a positive view of government, and are socially conservative.

Solid liberal: Your run of the mill democrat. Believes that racism is currently holding minorities down

bystanders: Doesn't vote and don't follow politics all that much. In it for the memes and moves on with their daily lives.

This gives a bit more insight into what each of the groups believes in: The Political Typology: Beyond Red vs. Blue | Pew Research Center

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The 'Next Gen Left', if it is meant to represent the younger generations, is definitely more socially and economically progressive than a typical, run of the mill Democrat. Sanders, Warren, and progressive politicos and policies in general all have overwhelming and disproportionate support from among the young.

ttwtt78640 said:

Not on most social issues, for example I am against the "war on drugs" since the only thing which it achieved was the creation of a multi-billion dollar industry run entirely by and for criminals. You simply can't largely decriminalize demand and still expect supply to stop.

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Then maybe you're a hard skeptic

Masterhawk said:

Then maybe you're a hard skeptic

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Simply observant.

haymarket said:

None of those really applies to me.

I am a hard core Democrat who normally takes very liberal positions except on life style issues where I tend to be rather conservative.

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I don't think the typology groups concern lifestyle. Unless you're talking about social issues which would put you on the faith and family left.

Masterhawk said:

Pew research has broken the American political spectrum down into 8 groups. Which one do you fit into?

Steadfast Conservative: Your basic conservative. Supports economic freedom but is more skeptical on immigration and is conservative on social issues.

Business Conservative: Maintains skepticism of government power but holds a more positive view of immigration and is moderate or slightly liberal on social issues.

Young Outsider: Like business conservatives but definitely on the left for social issues. They favor republicans slightly over democrats.

Hard Pressed Skeptic: Favors the social safety net but not other areas of government. They are also anti-immigrant.

Next Generation Left: Basically the opposite of hard presses skeptics. Tend to be more business oriented and are much like young outsiders except for being less skeptical of government and favoring democrats over republicans.

Faith and Family Left: The polar opposite of young outsiders. They are religious, hold a positive view of government, and are socially conservative.

Solid liberal: Your run of the mill democrat. Believes that racism is currently holding minorities down

bystanders: Doesn't vote and don't follow politics all that much. In it for the memes and moves on with their daily lives.

This gives a bit more insight into what each of the groups believes in: The Political Typology: Beyond Red vs. Blue | Pew Research Center

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Which group is djt in?

Masterhawk said:

I don't think the typology groups concern lifestyle. Unless you're talking about social issues which would put you on the faith and family left.

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I advocate a very conservative - small town America Norman Rockwell early to bed early to rise lifestyle in which one spends frugally, saves a lot, and only spends what is necessary. That is conservative.

ttwtt78640 said:

Simply observant.

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The poll really doesn't talk about legal vs illegal immigration so maybe you're just a business conservative who's alright with legal immigration but just wants people to come in the legal way.

haymarket said:

I advocate a very conservative - small town America Norman Rockwell early to bed early to rise lifestyle in which one spends frugally, saves a lot, and only spends what is necessary. That is conservative.

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The typologies really don't concern lifestyle preferences. For all I know, the steadfast conservatives could all be closeted gays.

Masterhawk said:

The typologies really don't concern lifestyle preferences. For all I know, the steadfast conservatives could all be closeted gays.

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I think politics and lifestyle do indicate a persons qualities and they can be in conflict.

It funny how I have lived my life. My politics have always been left and liberal. When I was just old enough to vote I was a delegate for George McGovern to the Democratic Convention in 1976. In 68 when I was only 19 I slept on floors in Indiana to work for Bobby Kennedy for President during their primary. I marched often against the war and burnt my draft card at a protest at the UN in New York city.

But when it comes to lifestyle, I dated only a few girls and settled down with a Polish girl who was Catholic just like me and have been married since 1971. I eschewed drug use during the Sixties and early Seventies and did not even take a drink until I was 27. It has always been early to bed and early to rise for me and I have never been much of a slavish consumer.

I do not know any closeted gay people - too straight and too repressed to even consider that.

Masterhawk said:

Pew research has broken the American political spectrum down into 8 groups. Which one do you fit into?

Steadfast Conservative: Your basic conservative. Supports economic freedom but is more skeptical on immigration and is conservative on social issues.

Business Conservative: Maintains skepticism of government power but holds a more positive view of immigration and is moderate or slightly liberal on social issues.

Young Outsider: Like business conservatives but definitely on the left for social issues. They favor republicans slightly over democrats.

Hard Pressed Skeptic: Favors the social safety net but not other areas of government. They are also anti-immigrant.

Next Generation Left: Basically the opposite of hard presses skeptics. Tend to be more business oriented and are much like young outsiders except for being less skeptical of government and favoring democrats over republicans.

Faith and Family Left: The polar opposite of young outsiders. They are religious, hold a positive view of government, and are socially conservative.

Solid liberal: Your run of the mill democrat. Believes that racism is currently holding minorities down

bystanders: Doesn't vote and don't follow politics all that much. In it for the memes and moves on with their daily lives.

This gives a bit more insight into what each of the groups believes in: The Political Typology: Beyond Red vs. Blue | Pew Research Center

Click to expand...

Next generation left, although not by any means perfectly.
For example, I'm skeptical of some parts of government, such as the current policies/actions on immigration, environment, and recreational drug usage (generally speaking), but I'm in favor of a single-payer healthcare system, subsidizing higher education, and raising the minimum wage.

haymarket said:

I think politics and lifestyle do indicate a persons qualities and they can be in conflict.

It funny how I have lived my life. My politics have always been left and liberal. When I was just old enough to vote I was a delegate for George McGovern to the Democratic Convention in 1976. In 68 when I was only 19 I slept on floors in Indiana to work for Bobby Kennedy for President during their primary. I marched often against the war and burnt my draft card at a protest at the UN in New York city.

But when it comes to lifestyle, I dated only a few girls and settled down with a Polish girl who was Catholic just like me and have been married since 1971. I eschewed drug use during the Sixties and early Seventies and did not even take a drink until I was 27. It has always been early to bed and early to rise for me and I have never been much of a slavish consumer.

I do not know any closeted gay people - too straight and too repressed to even consider that.

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The poll does talk a bit about that. For example, hard skeptics tend to be the least affluent of each of these groups. Family leftists seem to be the most racially diverse of these groups with a majority being minorities.

This page breaks it down by age: The politics of American generations: How age affects attitudes and voting behavior | Pew Research Center

Compared to old people, young adults are less likely to be steadfast conservatives, business conservatives, hard skeptics, or family left. They are more likely to be young outsiders, next generation left, or bystanders.

However, it's really in the context of determining the general makeup of these groups to see how it affects the way people think, less so of actually determining which group they fall into. For example, being gay does not automatically put you into the blue side.