How politically biased are you? New test on political biases
To what extent do you allow your political views influence your perception of reality? Do you trust facts regardless of whether they support your opinions or not? We may believe that we are impartial, neutral, but research shows that our political views do influence the way we look at the world around us. Researchers have been studying this for years at group level, now there is a test which aims to prove the point at individual level.
The test, called The Political Bias Test, provides a simple measure of how good you are at keeping facts and political opinions apart in four different areas; economy, environment, crime and immigration. It begins with a few questions about your political beliefs, which are then followed by eighteen factual questions with multiple choice answers.
Stefan Schubert, PhD in theoretical philosophy and affiliated researcher at the Institute for Futures Studies, has developed the test in collaboration with ClearerThinking.org where the test is published.
- I am interested in psychological biases because it is a very important area. I believe that we are much more irrational than we tend to think and that we make irrational decisions in a very large scale. The philosopher Michael Huemer, who is quoted at the beginning of the test, even believe that the psychological biases that influence our political opinions are the biggest problem humanity has, since it prevents us from resolving other problems.
You also run the blog DN Debatt-betyg where you analyze debate articles, and you are the President of Nätverket för evidensbaserad policy (network for evidence-based policies). Is this test a result of frustration over what the public debate looks like?
- Sure, there is some frustration over how bad it is, but there is also a firm belief that it is possible to change the situation. There are many who are frustrated but many of them believe there is nothing we can do about it. I think that large groups can be made less biased and that a better political debate is possible.
Who should take the test?
- Anyone, I guess, but perhaps especially those who are knowledgeable but also very ideological. What I hope is that the test will ignite a discussion on political bias as a problem.
Why is this phenomenon so common?
- We overestimate the role of knowledge as a solution to many things in society. If people have the wrong idea about climate change for example, we tend to think that if we provide them with more information they will change their mind, but there is no evidence that this works. Many climate skeptics know a lot more about the issue than people who have a correct idea of the situation. If you have an incorrect understanding of something because of bias, more facts will not change that.
Stefan is also inspired by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman and his description of the way we think in System 1 or System 2. Using System Two, we understand more difficult tasks and question things people tell us, which typically leads to more rational decisions. But using System 2 requires time and effort, and therefore we usually use System 1 which is intuitive, fast and does not require much effort. Using System 1 however, easily leads less rational decisions.
- I have seen a lot of experiments on political bias made at group level that show this. Does this piece of fact favor my position? Then it is right. But if you force yourself to give it a proper thought, the answer might be the opposite. If you can earn money for giving the right answer for example, you tend to show less bias. It has to do with the way we think about things, being lazy as in System 1, or making an effort as in System 2. When you don’t know, you tend to guess in the direction of your opinions.
The test has gained some attention thanks to articles on Vox, i100 and Civil Politics.org. Have you received any reactions?
- Some think – who are you to call me biased .. It is usually the extreme ones, people who have political views far out on the scale, who do not like the test or do not want to believe it. There is something called a "bias blind spot", just like it is easier to see the speck in a neighbor’s eye than the beam in your own.
Is there a next step?
- I am considering developing a Swedish version of the test, perhaps with other areas and involving researchers from other disciplines.
If you want to know more about the test and the thoughts behind it, there is a description at the end of the test.
Read more about the test and about political bias on VOX How politically biased are you? Take this test and find out
If you want to know more about psychological biases, you can read an interview with Anandi Hattiangadi, We are all prejudiced. You and me both.
This is a translation of an interview in Swedish.
