Issue Self-Positioning
Variable description
This item asks respondents about their own position on an issue. It can be used to measure the spread of opinions among the electorate (see measure Standard Deviation), or to put respondents into relation to the party system and their perception of party positions.
Self-placement items are widely available in a wide range of surveys. Most commonly, they ask respondents about their left-right position, but other issue dimensions are also possible.
Datasets & Variants
CSES
LEFT-RIGHT - SELF
E3020
Scale: 0 (Left) - 10 (Right)
Wording: Where would you place yourself on this scale?
European Social Survey
Placement on the left right scale
lrscale
Scale: 0 (Left) - 10 (Right)
Wording: In politics people sometimes talk of “left ́ and “right ́. Using this card, where would you place yourself on this scale, where 0 means the left and 10 means the right?
Eurobarometer
Personal left right
Scale: 1 (Left) - 10 (Right)
Wording: In political matters people talk of “the left” and “the right”. How would you place your views on this scale?"
EES
Personal left right
Scale: 0 (Left) - 10 (Right)
Wording: In political matters people talk of “the left” and “the right”. What is your position? Please indicate your views using any number on an 11-point-scale. On this scale, where 0 means “left” and 10 means “right,” which number best describes your position?
World Value Survey
Self positioning in political scale
Scale: 0 (Left) - 10 (Right)
Wording: In political matters, people talk of “the left” and “the right.” How would you place your views on this scale, generally speaking?
Measures
Measures that rely on these items:
Measure | Polarization |
---|---|
Party-System Compactness | ideological |
SD | ideological |