Self-Scoring Test

You can calculate your test results yourself here. Everyone starts with a score of 50% in each of Equality and Liberty and Stability. Selecting particular statements alters those scores as described here.

1. Equality (The Basics)

Select the statement which appeals most to you. If none of them appeal then move onto the next question.

"Everyone has to be equal in economic standing if they are to have a decent life. A society lacking such equality will be fractured into disparate and rival classes."

Alters Equality Score by +14%

"Equality needs to be promoted among all members of society. Everyone has to be equal in legal and political rights. Differences in economic standing should be minimized as much as is practical."

Alters Equality Score by +7%

"The only equality that matters in economics is equality of opportunity. Everyone deserves the chance to make a livelihood for themselves."

Alters Equality Score by -7%

"Equality is an empty concept. How can everyone be equal if everyone is different? Everyone has conflicting desires that they will do anything to win. You must defend yourself from those who want to take things away from you."

Alters Equality Score by -14%

2. Liberty (The Basics)

Select the statement which appeals most to you. If none of them appeal then move onto the next question.

"Liberty is the most important thing anyone can have and the right of everyone. It must be defended at all costs."

Alters Liberty Score by +14%

"Liberty is important because it allows everyone to become the best they can be and live a life to which they are best suited. Naturally there are some limits to liberty but it is a vital human condition."

Alters Liberty Score by +7%

"Liberty is overrated. Loyalty to others is much more important than the freedom to do whatever you want. The groups you belong to make you who you are so you should always value them for that."

Alters Liberty Score by -7%

"Liberty threatens an orderly and united society. Everyone should do whatever they can to ensure that others behave as society expects them to."

Alters Liberty Score by -14%

3. Stability (The Basics)

Select the statement which appeals most to you. If none of them appeal then move onto the next question.

"Stability is incredibly important. For a child routines and rules are vital and the same is so for adults. A structured way of life starts in the home but must extend to the wider world."

Alters Stability Score by +14%

"Stability is important in that drastic change always produces hardship and confusion. Any change that occurs must be small and only happen if there is a blatant need. Time-honoured traditions have lasted a long time because they work."

Alters Stability Score by +7%

"Stability is overrated. Old habits and practices can always be improved upon. Change is refreshing and a natural part of life. As long as we can ensure that change is for the better then it is worthwhile."

Alters Stability Score by -7%

"Stability is another word for stagnation and rigidity. In such an environment power accumulates and oppression becomes the norm. Change must be constant and vigorous. If ever you see complacency or conformity you must challenge it."

Alters Stability Score by -14%

4. Equality (Association)

Select the statement which appeals most to you. If none of them appeal then move onto the next question.

"We are nothing without society. Nobody can live alone and everyone is shaped by their peers. We need everyone to recognize that they are part of society and that the needs of that society are more important than any petty personal aspirations."

Alters Equality Score by +14%

"We are all members of society and need to be included in everything that membership involves. We all have the right to partake in its decision-making and the product of its labour."

Alters Equality Score by +7%

"Society is composed of different persons and groups and cannot be understood in terms of society as a whole. The extent to which someone will fit into society depends on how well they can negotiate its pitfalls to become a successful person."

Alters Equality Score by -7%

"There is no such thing as one society. We all live in different and conflicting groups and you have to insulate yourself from any groups hostile to your own interests."

Alters Equality Score by -14%

5. Liberty (Personal Autonomy)

Select the statement which appeals most to you. If none of them appeal then move onto the next question.

"Every individual is sovereign. Nobody can rule them but themselves and anyone who seeks to control others is an oppressor that must be resisted by those around them."

Alters Liberty Score by +14%

"Individuality is very important. Everyone is different and the expression of those differences makes society vibrant and robust."

Alters Liberty Score by +7%

"The importance of individuality is exaggerated. Every person may be different but why do they have to fixate on that difference? It is the things we have in common that are important and help form the bonds that hold society together."

Alters Liberty Score by -7%

"What is the individual? Anyone who stands out from the crowd is likely to be a malcontent. Given time a methodical and powerful state can remake everyone in its image. Everyone will be content once they have a defined role to fill."

Alters Liberty Score by -14%

6. Stability (Family)

Select the statement which appeals most to you. If none of them appeal then move onto the next question.

"A sense of family connection is very powerful. At its best society takes the values of family life and extends them to all relations with others. The best role-models evoke feelings of parental loyalty in us."

Alters Stability Score by +14%

"Your family instills in you decent standards of bahaviour. Society consists of many family groupings and the role of family in acting as a haven and in producing the next generation should be recognized and supported."

Alters Stability Score by +7%

"Family is important but we must recognize that it can take many forms rather than just the nuclear family. Family relations are just some of the many connections that can form in a diverse and tolerant society."

Alters Stability Score by -7%

"The family is just one of many institutions that work to oppress us. Family has been developed over time into something that instills in us subservience to authority and acceptance of abuse as a way of controlling us."

Alters Stability Score by -14%

7. Equality (Ownership)

Select the statement which appeals most to you. If none of them appeal then move onto the next question.

"It is vital that the means of production be owned communally. Only this will ensure that the wealth derived from industry will be justly shared."

Alters Equality Score by +14%

"Industry needs to be regulated to minimize any adverse effects it may have on society. Along with re-distributive taxation and public provision of vital services this will ensure a more equitable society."

Alters Equality Score by +7%

"Industry can only be productive if it is held in private hands so that incentive exists for those who work hard to be rewarded. Anyone can have a stake in the rewards of productivity if they work and then invest some income back into industry."

Alters Equality Score by -7%

"The only useful industry is one you own and operate yourself. Any other kind of industry will just benefit others and possibly even be turned back on you. It is important to acquire the skills and tools necessary to provide for your own survival."

Alters Equality Score by -14%

8. Liberty (The Limited State)

Select the statement which appeals most to you. If none of them appeal then move onto the next question.

"The state and all things connected with it exist purely to oppress and degrade us. All manner of institutions exist simply to control us from birth to death. The state only persists because it monopolizes the tools of violence."

Alters Liberty Score by +14%

"The state is a necessary tool and acts as a neutral arbiter between members of society. However its involvement in everyday life must be kept to a minimum and it must always act on the wishes of those it serves."

Alters Liberty Score by +7%

"The state is important because it can promote ethical behaviour. It can also help to make life better by lending its impressive monetary support to projects of community renewal. Laws need to be drawn from accepted community standards."

Alters Liberty Score by -7%

"The state is all-important to ensure discipline and order. The state is more than just some invention of humans. Rather it is an intrinsic part of any society – it is effectively society in a well-structured form."

Alters Liberty Score by -14%

9. Stability (Heritage)

Select the statement which appeals most to you. If none of them appeal then move onto the next question.

"The past gives us everything that is worth having including a sense of belonging. We must defend our heritage from insults. History gives us a sense of purpose. Revered historic figures inspire us to be strong and brave."

Alters Stability Score by +14%

"The past should be cherished but we can recognize that our ancestors are flawed humans just like us. We can value the contribution they have made to our culture and institutions while also making our own contributions to the organic whole."

Alters Stability Score by +7%

"It is important to understand the past. However it is risky to glorify the past or to allow for only one interpretation of history. Knowing history allows us to escape the mistakes of the past and do things better in the future."

Alters Stability Score by -7%

"The past is whatever the powerful want it to be. Oppressors will tamper with the historic record to secure power. We have to nurture our own history. We also have to make history by challenging old assumptions and making a new world."

Alters Stability Score by -14%

10. Throwing A Spanner In The Works

Finally select the statements that appeal to you most (if none are chosen then each of Equality and Liberty and Stability are altered by
-7%).

"A friend in need is a friend indeed."

Alters Equality and Stability Scores by +7%

"God helps those that help themselves."

Alters Liberty and Stability Scores by +7%

"All must be free or none can be free."

Alters Equality and Liberty Scores by +7%

Calculate your totals then find the category that the ranges of your scores fit into.

Scores: Stability (0-50%) Liberty (0-50%) Equality (0-50%)

Scores: Stability (0-50%) Liberty (51-85%) Equality (0-50%)

Scores: Stability (0-50%) Liberty (0-50%) Equality (51-85%)

Scores: Stability (51-85%) Liberty (0-50%) Equality (0-50%)

Scores: Stability (0-50%) Liberty (51-85%) Equality (51-85%)

Scores: Stability (51-85%) Liberty (0-50%) Equality (51-85%)

Scores: Stability (51-85%) Liberty (51-85%) Equality (0-50%)

Score: Stability (51-85%) Liberty (51-85%) Equality (51-85%)

Score: Stability (51-85%) Liberty (86-100%) Equality (51-85%)

Score: Stability (51-85%) Liberty (51-85%) Equality (86-100%)

Score: Stability (86-100%) Liberty (51-85%) Equality (51-85%)

Score: Stability (51-85%) Liberty (86-100%) Equality (86-100%)

Score: Stability (86-100%) Liberty (51-85%) Equality (86-100%)

Score: Stability (86-100%) Liberty (86-100%) Equality (51-85%)

Score: Stability (0-50%) Liberty (86-100%) Equality (51-85%)

Score: Stability (0-50%) Liberty (51-85%) Equality (86-100%)

Score: Stability (51-85%) Liberty (0-50%) Equality (86-100%)

Score: Stability (86-100%) Liberty (0-50%) Equality (51-85%)

Score: Stability (86-100%) Liberty (51-85%) Equality (0-50%)

Score: Stability (51-85%) Liberty (86-100%) Equality (0-50%)

Score: Stability (0-50%) Liberty (86-100%) Equality (0-50%)

Score: Stability (0-50%) Liberty (0-50%) Equality (86-100%)

Score: Stability (86-100%) Liberty (0-50%) Equality (0-50%)

Score: Stability (0-50%) Liberty (86-100%) Equality (86-100%)

Score: Stability (86-100%) Liberty (0-50%) Equality (86-100%)

Score: Stability (86-100%) Liberty (86-100%) Equality (0-50%)

Score: Stability (86-100%) Liberty (86-100%) Equality (86-100%)

The capacity of the Political Objectives Test to accurately determine your political category is limited by the relative simplicity of its scoring model and the brevity of the test. It works surprisingly well for those whose politics is conventional in nature (liberal, progressive, socialist, communitarian, conservative, establishmentarian).

However for more marginal forms of politics it loses accuracy. To address this somewhat most category descriptions include links to related descriptions. Chances are you will be only one link away from a description that works for you.

It is also worth noting that the primary purpose of the Political Objectives Test is to inform and provoke contemlation. Examine both your own category and links to others and consider them in relation to one another.