Start with the economic question
In a common economic use of the spectrum, the left puts greater emphasis on reducing inequality and sharing economic power. The right puts greater emphasis on private property, market allocation, and incentives. These are broad tendencies, not a rulebook for every person or party.
A person who favors progressive taxation and extensive public services might be described as economically left-leaning. Someone who favors lower taxes, private provision, and fewer constraints on market activity might be described as economically right-leaning. Most real policy positions involve a mixture.
“More government” is not one position
A government can spend more on public services while placing strict limits on police surveillance. Another can favor private markets while exercising broad control over speech and public gatherings. The amount of government activity and the kind of power it exercises are separate questions.
This is why My Political Values separates economic equality, public services, and worker voice from civil liberties. It also measures the distribution of power: someone can support an active state but prefer decisions to be made locally.
Keep country and context in view
Political labels are comparative. A policy considered an expansion of public provision in one country may already be an established part of the system in another. A party label can also survive substantial changes in its policy platform.
When you hear that someone is “left-wing” or “right-wing,” ask which policies support that description. Naming the policy and the tradeoff usually gives you more information than applying the label alone.
How to think about your own position
Start with specific choices, then look for patterns. You do not have to choose a label before deciding what you think. It is also reasonable for a position to change when new evidence changes the expected consequences.
- Separate economic questions from questions about personal freedom and social change.
- Identify the goal you care about: equal opportunity, autonomy, continuity, security, or something else.
- Consider the cost you are willing to accept to pursue that goal.
- Notice where your answers depend on context rather than a general rule.
- Use a political test as an organized set of prompts, then examine the questions behind the scores.
Sources & further reading
Descriptions of other tests are based on their own published explanations, reviewed October 1, 2026. Our comparisons interpret those descriptions; they are not independent validation studies.
Social views do not automatically follow economic views
Your opinion about who should pay for health care does not tell us your opinion about religion in public schools. Support for business competition does not tell us whether you welcome changing family roles. Treating all these positions as a single package can hide more than it reveals.
Imagine two people who both want higher taxes on large fortunes. One also favors traditional religious institutions and tighter migration rules. The other favors secular government and easier migration. Their economic position overlaps while important parts of their worldviews differ.