It’s official: I’m a liberal

Bored and tired on a Saturday, I decided to do a little web surfing. As you do.

I stopped by The Horse’s Mouth and there was an ad for Pew Research Center. Always a sucker for statistics and such (my political science and history background coming through), I clicked on the ad (which, by the way, is something I seldom do).

There, I found a link to a Typology Test and found, surprise, surprise, that I’m in the Liberal typology. Someone get the smelling salts, I think I fainted from the surprise.

Actually, it was kind of interesting. The results page said Liberals make up 17 percent of the American public, and 19 percent of registered US voters, and our percentage has doubled since 1999 (thanks, dubya!). In describing the typology, they say of Liberals:

They are the most opposed to an assertive foreign policy, the most secular, and take the most liberal views on social issues such as homosexuality, abortion, and censorship. They differ from other Democratic groups in that they are strongly pro-environment and pro-immigration, issues which are more controversial among Conservative and Disadvantaged Democrats.

Yep, that’s me. Our “Defining Values” are:

Strongest preference for diplomacy over use of military force. Pro-choice, supportive of gay marriage and strongly favor environmental protection. Low participation in religious activities. Most sympathetic of any group to immigrants as well as labor unions, and most opposed to the anti-terrorism Patriot Act.

Apparently, this is the largest of the nine typologies they identified. Liberals are more likely to be secular, Democratic, highly educated and follow news about government and public affairs, including being the biggest group to use the Internet to get news.

There now, who said it would be hard to say what I’m for rather than just what I’m against? Oh, hang on, that was me who said that. Never mind.

Find your own US political typology here.