A few of the questions I would have preferred a third choice in answers, seeing more gray than black or white but the instructions were clear in stating "Even if neither statement is exactly right, choose the response that comes closest to your views."
So, I took the quiz, the results came in and I read the whole page, which included Pew's assumptions based on their qualifications of who represents "staunch conservatives" and that is where their profiling breaks down a bit.
Who They Are
* 84% are Republicans
* 72% agree with the Tea Party
* More than nine-in-ten are non-Hispanic white
* The oldest typology group (61% are age 50 and older)
* 56% are male; most are married and financially comfortable
* 57% own guns and 57% attend church every week
* 54% regularly watch Fox News
* More watch Glenn Beck and listen to Rush Limbaugh than any other group
Let me run down the list:
84% are Republicans- Former Democrat during Clinton's first term, now Republican- so I will say CHECK
72% agree with the Tea Party- While I don't agree with every single talking point, I do agree with the majority of them so, again, CHECK
More than nine-in-ten are non-Hispanic white- I am a mutt but I do not think their is any Hispanic in my ancestral line, so CHECK
The oldest typology group (61% are age 50 and older)- I am in the 30-49 age group- WRONG
56% are male; most are married and financially comfortable- Nope, again WRONG, I am definitely a female, born that way and have the parts to prove it.
57% own guns and 57% attend church every week- Half CHECK/Half WRONG- I own guns but do not attend church, do not practice my religion and if I did it would not be a church I attended it would be a synagogue.
54% regularly watch Fox News- WRONG, I do not watch television news I get online news from all types of sources.
More watch Glenn Beck and listen to Rush Limbaugh than any other group- BIGTIME WRONGNESS- I do not watch Glenn Beck or listen to Rush Limbaugh, ever. I may see news including one or both so I will click over online to get quotes or write about that particular topic but I am not much on listening to pundits telling me what to think. I prefer to acquire my data and decide for myself.. a novel idea huh?
So, while these political quizzes can be amusing, their criteria, their phrasing of questions and their profiling expertise could use some updating and adjusting because they are wrong more than they are right and their percentages are wrong more than they are right as well.
Take the test, see if Pew is more right or more wrong on your profile.
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