American Outlook Test
America used to be split into two factions: Conservative and liberal. According to The Atlantic’s George Packer, however, Americans are now split between four ideas of what their nation’s purpose, values, history, and meaning are like.
What is your American outlook like? For each of the following statements, indicate your agreement below.
Question 1 of 24
The purpose of government is to secure individual rights and little else.
| Disagree | Agree |
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The IDRlabs American Outlook Test is the property of IDRlabs International. The IDRlabs test utilizes the findings of The Atlantic’s George Packer but is not associated with Packer or The Atlantic.
This quiz has been made with the aid of professional analysts who have experience in personality testing, organizational psychology, and politics. Even so, please keep in mind that tests such as these are merely convenient tools to get you started; this quiz is a first peek at the four American outlooks.
The test is based on Packer, George: How America Fractured Into Four Parts. The Atlantic July/August 2021 Issue. This site has no affiliation with Packer or The Atlantic.
The test provides feedback such as the following:
Free America: An alliance of conservatives and libertarians who see America as the guarantor of individual and economic liberties, at home as well as abroad. To these people, America is the leader of the free world; a shining city on a hill, open to the freedom-loving people of the world as long as they agree to work hard, play by the rules, and support the American order. This is Reagan’s America.
Smart America: Left-leaning, well-educated, and tech-savvy professionals who are well off and firmly embedded in the global economy, working with colleagues from across the world. To these people, America is part of an international community; an alliance of free nations promoting peace, prosperity, cooperation, and human rights, at home as well as abroad. This is Obama’s America.
Real America: A coalition of Main Street, small town, and working-class America, which is deeply skeptical of Washington insiders and coastal elites. They are against free trade and are isolationist in foreign policy, but ready to defend America if need be. These people want prosperity for local communities, a return to manufacturing, and for their children to stop dying in senseless wars. This is Trump’s America.
Just America: Politics as informed by critical theories that originated in social science and humanities departments at the university level and spread to the rest of society. Today these ideas hold considerable sway with professors, the progressive left, and people under 35. These people see America as a racist and violent nation that has never done enough to redeem its past and attain social justice. Just America has not yet had a president.
The authors of this free online American Outlook Test are certified in the use of numerous different personality tests and have worked professionally with psychology, political psychology, and personality testing. Prior to using our free online test, please note that the results are provided "as-is", for free, and should not be construed as providing professional or certified advice of any kind. For more about any of our online tests, please consult our Terms of Service.
Why Use This Test?
1. Free. This American Outlook Test is delivered to you free of charge and will allow you to ascertain the extent of your American Outlook as measured against four prominent takes on the nation’s values, history, purpose, and meaning. The test confronts you with opinions that have been identified in George Packer’s portrayals of these mindsets.
2. Agenda-Free. Unlike other online political tests, this test does not try to make everyone sympathize with any single view of America. The test attempts to be value-free and provide a neutral presentation of the various positions measured, as well as your degree of agreement with them.
3. Statistical controls. Test scores are logged into an anonymized database. Statistical analysis of the test is conducted to ensure maximum accuracy and validity of the test scores.
4. Made by professionals. The authors of this free online American Outlook test are certified in the use of different personality tests and have worked professionally with typology, politics, and personality testing.