Barry Goldwater vs Ronald Reagan
Barry Goldwater
United States- U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953-1965, 1969-1987)
- Republican presidential nominee (1964)
Arizona Republican senator and 1964 presidential nominee whose limited-government, anticommunist platform helped shape the modern American conservative movement.
Full profile of Barry Goldwater
Ronald Reagan
United States- 40th President of the United States (1981-1989)
- 33rd Governor of California
Republican president who cut income tax rates, pursued deregulation and a defense buildup, and negotiated nuclear arms reductions with the Soviet Union.
Full profile of Ronald ReaganIn short
How they compare
Barry Goldwater (1909-1998) and Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) are an 83% match on the 10 axes where both have a clear record.
They differ most on religion (Barry Goldwater: secular (mild); Ronald Reagan: religious (moderate)), morality (Barry Goldwater: balanced; Ronald Reagan: traditional (moderate)) and security (Barry Goldwater: order (mild); Ronald Reagan: order (moderate)). They are closest on trade, ownership and markets.
On the economy Barry Goldwater sits further toward markets; on state and liberty Ronald Reagan sits further toward authority; on society Ronald Reagan sits further toward tradition; on the world stage their positions are close.
Generated from the two sourced profiles on this site. Each axis placement and its reasoning is on the full profile pages.
★ By family of axes
- Economy3 axes
- Barry Goldwatermarkets (strong)Ronald Reaganmarkets (moderate)
- State and liberty3 axes
- Barry Goldwaterliberty (mild)Ronald Reaganbalanced
- Society2 axes
- Barry Goldwaterprogress (mild)Ronald Reagantradition (moderate)
- World2 axes
- Barry Goldwaternation (mild)Ronald Reagannation (mild)
- Barry Goldwater: petals and stars
- Ronald Reagan: dashed outline
★ Where they differ most
- Religion70 points apart
Barry Goldwater: Secular (mild). Ronald Reagan: Religious (moderate).
- Morality55 points apart
Barry Goldwater: Balanced. Ronald Reagan: Traditional (moderate).
- Security35 points apart
Barry Goldwater: Order (mild). Ronald Reagan: Order (moderate).
- Structure35 points apart
Barry Goldwater: Local (strong). Ronald Reagan: Local (moderate).
★ Where they are closest
- Trade · 5 apart
- Ownership · 10 apart
- Foreign policy · 15 apart
Axis by axis
Ronald Reagan
Economy
Equality / Markets- OwnershipModerate: Private20%80%PublicPrivate
- MarketsStrong: Free13%87%PlannedFree
- WelfareStrong: Self-reliant13%87%SharedSelf-reliant
State and liberty
Liberty / Authority- AuthorityModerate: Democratic70%30%DemocraticStrong leader
- SecurityMild: Order43%57%LibertyOrder
- StructureStrong: Local88%12%LocalCentral
Society
Progress / Tradition- MoralityBalanced50%50%ProgressiveTraditional
- ReligionMild: Secular63%37%SecularReligious
- TechnologyNo clear recordEmbraceCaution
- CultureNo clear recordMulticulturalNational identity
World
Global / Nation- TradeModerate: Global70%30%GlobalProtected
- Foreign policyStrong: Strength13%87%CooperationStrength
Not compared: Technology (no clear record for Barry Goldwater), Culture (no clear record for Barry Goldwater). These axes are greyed out above and left out of the match.
★ 12 Axes Political Test ★
Who are you closer to?
Answer plain statements on 12 axes and see your match with Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan and every other historical figure, axis by axis.
FAQ
Barry Goldwater vs Ronald Reagan
What is the difference between Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan?
They differ most on religion (Barry Goldwater: secular (mild); Ronald Reagan: religious (moderate)), morality (Barry Goldwater: balanced; Ronald Reagan: traditional (moderate)) and security (Barry Goldwater: order (mild); Ronald Reagan: order (moderate)). On the economy Barry Goldwater sits further toward markets; on state and liberty Ronald Reagan sits further toward authority; on society Ronald Reagan sits further toward tradition; on the world stage their positions are close.
What do Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan have in common?
They are closest on trade, ownership and markets. Overall their profiles are an 83% match on the 10 axes where both have a clear record.
Who leans more toward free markets, Barry Goldwater or Ronald Reagan?
On the economic axes they share, Barry Goldwater sits further toward markets and Ronald Reagan further toward equality. Barry Goldwater reads as markets (strong) overall, Ronald Reagan as markets (moderate).
Am I closer to Barry Goldwater or Ronald Reagan?
Take the 12 Axes Political Test. Your result shows your match with both of them, and with every other historical figure and ideology on the site, axis by axis.
