Nolan-Eysenck Political Test

The Nolan-Eysenck Political Test: A Modern Approach to Measuring Political Ideology

The Nolan-Eysenck Political Test represents a significant evolution in the assessment of political ideology, merging the strengths of David Nolan’s two-axis political model with Hans Eysenck’s psychological insights into authoritarianism. The original Nolan Chart, introduced in 1969, plots political ideology on two axes: personal freedom (Lifestyle/Values) and economic freedom (Economics/Markets), positioning ideologies like libertarianism, liberalism, conservatism, and authoritarianism in distinct quadrants (Nolan, 1971). However, critics have noted that the Nolan Chart often exhibits a libertarian bias, as its creator was a libertarian, potentially skewing questions to favor individual liberty over other values (Mitchell, 2018). The Nolan-Eysenck Political Test addresses this by integrating Eysenck’s findings, particularly his observation that both fascists and communists exhibit mirrored authoritarian tendencies, despite their economic differences (Eysenck, 1954). This new test aims to provide a more balanced and neutral framework for understanding political beliefs.

The test comprises 28 questions, split evenly between the Lifestyle/Values axis, which measures attitudes toward personal freedoms and social control, and the Economics/Markets axis, which assesses views on economic freedom versus government intervention. Each axis includes 14 questions—seven normal (where agreement indicates higher freedom) and seven reversed (where agreement indicates lower freedom, requiring score inversion). Respondents rate their agreement on a 1-5 scale (1 = Strongly Disagree, 5 = Strongly Agree), and scores are scaled to a 0-100 range for each axis. The results are plotted on a two-dimensional grid, placing individuals into one of six categories: Libertarians (top-right), Left-liberals (top-left), Conservatives (bottom-right), Communists (bottom-left), Fascists (bottom-center/left), and Centrists (center).

A key innovation of the Nolan-Eysenck Political Test is its incorporation of Eysenck’s psychological research on political attitudes. Eysenck’s work, notably his 1954 book The Psychology of Politics, introduced the idea that political ideology is not a simple left-right spectrum but involves dimensions like authoritarianism (which he termed “tough-mindedness”) and radicalism. He argued that communists and fascists, often seen as ideological opposites, share authoritarian traits, such as a preference for control and conformity, differing primarily in economic priorities (Eysenck, 1954). This insight allows the test to position both groups in the lower quadrants of the grid, with communists favoring economic control (low Economics/Markets) and fascists leaning toward state-directed markets with nationalist aims.

To reduce bias, the test employs neutral phrasing and balanced questions. For example, Lifestyle/Values questions like “Individuals should have the freedom to live their lives according to their own values” contrast with reversed items like “The government should enforce strict laws to maintain traditional family structures.” Similarly, Economics/Markets questions such as “Private businesses should have the freedom to operate with little government oversight” are balanced by reversed items like “The government should redistribute wealth through taxes to reduce economic inequality.” This structure ensures that no ideology is inherently favored, addressing criticisms of the original Nolan Chart (Mitchell, 2018).

The Nolan-Eysenck Political Test provides a nuanced tool for understanding political ideology in a modern context, reflecting both individual values and economic priorities. By combining Nolan’s dimensional approach with Eysenck’s psychological insights, it offers a more comprehensive and less biased framework for political self-assessment, suitable for educational, research, or personal use.