Music Taste Test
Based on research from Duke University
Cultural tastes have always been tied to social status. However, the tastes that code for high and low social status also change over time. Clayton Childress, Shyon Baumann, and their colleagues at Duke University now believe they have a way to identify a person’s social class based on their taste in music.
What does your taste in music indicate about your social status? For each of the following artists, indicate whether you like or dislike them below.
Question 1 of 35
How much do you like...
Britney Spears
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The IDRlabs Music Taste Test was developed by IDRlabs, and adapted from the research of Childress, Clayton, Shyon Baumann, and their colleagues at Duke University. IDRlabs is not the aforementioned researchers or their institutions.
High-status contemporary taste in music is sometimes considered inclusive, exclusive, or both. New light has been shed on how people’s tastes are coded for how they like to learn, maintain and express themselves. It is thought that people’s taste in music can be divided or stratified along different cultural levels and that these form the components or building blocks in an individual’s expression of their taste in music. Based on original research data, research from Duke University found that people’s taste in music is according to their social status in society. The research reflects and possibly enhances our understanding of the individual taste composition in our culture and what it says about their upbringing, schooling, and socio-economic status. The insights may have important implications for understanding how social status is formed and maintained in contemporary society.
The test makes use of the following artists to gauge taste in music: Tupac Shakur, Lauryn Hill, Kendrick Lamar, Sean “Puffy” Combs, Insane Clown Posse, Ja Rule, Flo Rida, Adele, Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, One Direction, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Carrie Underwood, Florida Georgia Line, Sugarland, Rascal Flatts, Food Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Coldplay, Nickelback, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, AC/DC, KISS, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Mötley Crüe. For more, see Childress, Clayton, Shyon Baumann, Craig M. Rawlings, and Jean-François Nault. 2021. “Genres, Objects, and the Contemporary Expression of Higher-Status Tastes.” Sociological Science 8: 230-264. The information yielded by this test is provided “as-is” and should not be construed as professional services or warranties of any kind.
The IDRlabs Music Taste is an adapted version of research from Duke University, which was developed by its authors. For more information about our online tests and quizzes, please consult our Terms of Service.
Why Use This Test?
1. Free. This Music Taste Test is free of charge and allows you to obtain your presumed social status based on your taste in music, as plotted according to research from Duke University.
2. 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.
3. Made by professionals. The present test has been made with the input of people who work professionally with psychology and individual differences research.
