Difference Between Liberal and Conservative

As humans, we want similar things in life. We desire freedom and a chance to prosper in life and don’t want to see people suffering.

We want children who are healthy and would like to live in a crime-free society. The main question is; how do we achieve them? Most people differ in their opinions on various issues. They can be liberal in some circumstances and conservative in others.

If you pay attention to many issues going on presently, you will notice that conservative ideas line up with the concept of equality, and liberal ideas line up with the concept of equity Conservative people support equality.

They always want people to get equal treatment, while a liberal person generally accentuates equity. They want a person’s situation to be considered to determine the kind of treatment accorded.

Key Takeaways

1. Liberal and conservative political ideologies represent different approaches to governance and social issues.
2. Liberals generally support progressive social policies and government intervention in the economy, while conservatives support traditional values and limited government intervention.
3. Liberals prioritize individual rights and equality, while conservatives prioritize personal responsibility and national security.

Liberal vs Conservative

The difference between Liberal and Conservative is their structures. A liberal system is federal, whereas the conservative one is a non-federal structure. Liberals acknowledge and appreciate long-term welfare. On the other hand, conservatives neglect long-term welfare and encourage self-governing living. Liberalism is a left-wing ideology. Conversely, conservativeness is right-wing.

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Comparison Table

Parameters of comparison	Liberal	Conservative
Stability	Liberals are uncomfortable with the normal; they are constantly seeking diversity and will always question how things are run.	Conservatives want to maintain the status quo. They tend to support the authorities. They are more concerned about order.
Morality	Liberals are concerned about whether things are right or wrong and will always stand with the truth.	Conservatives will care less whether things are right or wrong as long as the authorities make the decisions; they are fine with it.
Openness to experience	Liberals are open to diversity and new ideas and love a society that is open to change.	Conservatives love familiarity and want a society that is traditional and safe.
Self-Control	Liberals are very ambitious and would like to do several things at the same time so their self-control level is always on the lower side.	Studies show that conservative people are always good at focusing their attention on cognitive tasks.
Obedience to Authority	Liberals always want to operate outside the socially-imposed restrictions.	Conservatives tend to obey the civil and secular and respect senior members of the family from their childhood.
Social Welfare	Liberals support long-term welfare to provide for the needs of the poor in society.	Conservatives are opposed to long-term welfare. They prefer encouraging people to be more independent and stop relying on the government.

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What is Liberal?

A Liberal is a person or a group of people who believe that the government must act to change the political, economic and ideological policies and constructions that may seem biased.

Liberals believe that parts of a government’s social and political systems are biased toward minority and underprivileged people.

These systems must be changed under all circumstances, even if it means restricting some fundamental freedoms.

They want the government to take action and ensure equality and that all achieve equal opportunities.

It is the responsibility of the government to protect the freedoms and human rights and ensure no one suffers from the lack of these.

Liberals insist that the role of the government is to solve problems for its citizens. Generally, Liberals believe that governments have the power to give and take away rights from their citizens.

 

What is Conservative?

A conservative is a person or group of people who seeks to safeguard a society’s political, economic and ideological system.

Conservatives believe that cooperation should be granted their freedoms to run their businesses and make profits without the government’s interference.

Conservatives believe in personal accountability, restricted government, unrestricted markets, and individual liberty. The government must give people their freedom in order to follow their dreams and achieve their set goals.

The policies of the conservatives believe in individual empowerment as an approach to solving problems.

Generally, conservatives believe that rights are God-given and that no one has any authority to take away their rights.

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Main Differences Between Liberal and Conservative

1. Conservatives have orderly thinking patterns, whereas liberals have sudden insight moments.
2. Liberals accept change very quickly, whereas conservatives are pretty resistant to change.
3. Liberals describe themselves as optimistic and very compassionate to other people, while conservatives are religious and honourable.
4. Liberals view inequality as a social problem that the government needs to address. On the other hand, Conservatives are comfortable with it and do not put effort into changing the situation.
5.  Liberals are more secular, single, more educated and do not own firearms, whereas Conservatives are more religious, value family life and own firearms,
6. If put on a political scale, the liberals are always referred to as being on the left, while the conservatives are referred to as being on the right.
7. Liberals believe that it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that no one is in need. In contrast, conservatives believe that the government should have the freedom to follow its dreams.

References

1. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1994-17521-001
2. https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/tlr63&section=57
3. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1017/S0022381610001015