A common assumption is that the other side is the one being led by the nose. Our tests can check it, because they ask key positions twice, once in a sympathetic frame and once in a critical one, and measure how far each answer moves. The two sides differ at 3 of 3 strengths of view, but the gaps are small next to the typical spread of scores.
Positions here use the two compass axes, each running from -100 to +100. We count someone as leaning left or right if their economic score is more than 33 points from the centre, and the same for the social axis, where the two sides are libertarian and authority. Everyone within 33 points of the middle is in the centre group.
Show the data
| Group | People | Average framing bias | Average distance from centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Left (economic axis) | 14,740 | 19.8 | 53 |
| Centre (economic axis) | 28,464 | 24.0 | 15 |
| Right (economic axis) | 5,351 | 21.9 | 55 |
| Libertarian (social axis) | 7,157 | 19.8 | 54 |
| Centre (social axis) | 27,394 | 24.3 | 15 |
| Authority (social axis) | 14,004 | 20.5 | 52 |
Comparing like with like
The broad groups hide something. People with firm views are, almost by definition, the ones whose answers point the same way however a question is worded. So the further someone sits from the centre, the lower their framing bias tends to be, and our data shows exactly that on both sides. If one side had more people with strong views, it would look less swayable for that reason alone.
To rule that out, we compare left and right at the same distance from the centre.
Show the data
| Distance from centre | Left | Right | Gap (Right minus Left) | 95% interval of gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 to 49 | 21.5 (7,505) | 23.8 (2,486) | +2.3 | 1.6 to 3.0 |
| 50 to 74 | 19.3 (5,300) | 21.1 (2,047) | +1.8 | 1.1 to 2.5 |
| 75 to 100 | 14.7 (1,935) | 18.4 (818) | +3.7 | 2.4 to 5.0 |
At 33 to 49 points from the centre, people on the right score 2.3 points higher (95% interval 1.6 to 3.0). 50 to 74 points from the centre, people on the right score 1.8 points higher (95% interval 1.1 to 2.5). 75 to 100 points from the centre, people on the right score 3.7 points higher (95% interval 2.4 to 5.0).
The social axis is a little different
On the social axis, which runs from libertarian to authority, the picture is mixed, and the gaps do not hold at every strength of view.
Show the data
| Distance from centre | Libertarian | Authority | Gap (Authority minus Libertarian) | 95% interval of gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 to 49 | 22.8 (3,382) | 22.2 (7,413) | -0.6 | -1.1 to -0.1 |
| 50 to 74 | 18.5 (3,021) | 19.7 (5,184) | +1.2 | 0.6 to 1.7 |
| 75 to 100 | 11.9 (754) | 14.1 (1,407) | +2.3 | 1.2 to 3.3 |
Why the centre scores highest
The centre group averages 24.0 on the economic axis, well above both sides. Part of that is how the measurement works. Someone who agrees with both the sympathetic and the critical version of a question lands in the middle on that topic, because the two answers cancel out. That same pattern is what the framing bias score counts. So a central position and a high score partly go together by construction.
That does not make centrists careless. Plenty of people in the middle hold carefully balanced views and score low. But a score in the centre can mean two different things, and the framing bias number is what tells them apart.
What it means
Susceptibility to wording is not a partisan trait. People on the left and the right are moved by framing to the same degree when their views are equally firm. If you want to know how much a question's wording might have moved your own answers, the useful comparison is not with the other side. It is with the version of the question you did not see.
See where you land and how much wording moves you: take the test.
About these figures
- Based on 48,555 results across all tests. Broad groups are shown only with at least 100 people, and each side within a distance band with at least 50.
- Intervals are 95% intervals. A gap whose interval includes zero is one we cannot distinguish from chance.
- Each country test places people against its own country's debate, so "left" means left within that test. The comparison between sides holds within every test mix, but the positions are not identical across countries.
- This is a self-selected online sample and is not weighted to any population. Full detail is on the methodology page.