Political Ideology Definition and Examples

Political Ideology Definition and Examples

It is very important that we determine our
political ideology
 early in our lives because it will impact what political party we support, if any, who we vote for, and ultimately what positions we take on issues like raising taxes and protecting the environment.

In short, political ideology is 
our ideas or beliefs about the proper role of government and the use of political power
 
(Magleby 92) 
.
 
Should we have fewer taxes and less government regulations or should we raise taxes and tax the wealthy in order to provide welfare and Medicaid benefits to the poor? How you answer these questions depends on how you view the role of government in our lives. Are you a libertarian, conservative, moderate, liberal, socialist or communist? These are all types of political ideologies.

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Please review my chart below of the 
Political Spectrum
 and check out the “Political Ideology Quiz” simulation to help you decide or confirm your own political ideology. While this table is not all inclusive, and some beliefs may differ individually, these are some common traits.

Political Spectrum

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

Communist

Socialist

Liberal

Moderate

Conservative

Libertarian

most gov. regulation & control

least freedom

no private property

gov. owns business

gov. owns private property

social welfare state

gov. regulates the economy

regulate business to protect individuals (human rights)

redistribute income from wealthy to the poor — progressive income tax

gov. can promote justice & equal opportunity

gov. can help solve our problems

little bit conservative little bit liberal

fiscal conservative/

socially liberal

fiscally liberal/

socially conservative

fiscal or traditional conservative

social conservative–regulates social behavior

protect property rights

fewer taxes

less gov. regulation of business

charitable giving

personal responsibility

gov. generally should not solve our problems

most freedom

not anarchists

no economic or social controls

Political Ideology Definition and Examples

 

Political Ideology Quiz

Complete the 
Political Ideology Quiz from ProProfs
 to see where our beliefs lie.

Please Note: 
this quiz has some answer choices that are very defined with out any “grey area.” As such, the answer you choose may indicate that you are more liberal or conservative (or otherwise) than you really are. That said, don’t take your results too seriously but perhaps use them as a starting point to think about your political beliefs.

Examples
 of leaders’ political ideologies:

Raul Castro (former President of Cuba) — Communist

Xi Jingping (President of the People’s Republic of China and General Secretary of the Communist Party)–Communist

Bernie Sanders (I. Senator Vermont) — Socialist

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D. Rep. NY and 2020 Democratic Presidential candidate)–Socialist

Barak Obama (President of the United States) – – Liberal

Hillary Rodham Clinton (former Secretary of Stat and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee) — Liberal

Joe Biden (former VP and Senator and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate)–Liberal

Elizabeth Warren (D. Senator Mass. and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate)–“progressive”–Liberal?

Tulsi Gabbard (D. Rep. Hawaii and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate)–moderate

Tim Ryan (D. Rep. Ohio and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate)–moderate

Donald Trump (President)–moderate?

Political Ideology Definition and Examples

Bill Weld (former R. Gov. of Mass and 2016 VP candidate for Libertarian Party)–moderate

Rand Paul (R. Senator KY and 2016 Republican Presidential candidate–Libertarian

Gary Johnson (former R. Governor of New Mexico and 2016 Libertarian Party nominee for President)–Libertarian

Mitch McConnell (R. Senate majority leader KY)–Conservative

Ronald Reagan (former R. President) — Conservative

Ben Carson (R. 2016 presidential candidate and current Secretary of Housing)–Social Conservative

Can you
be conservative and be a Democrat
? Political Ideology Definition and Examples