Positive and Normative statements

Question 1

What are POSITIVE statements and define them…

Answer 1

Positive statements are objective.

They can be tested with factual evidence, and can hence be rejected or accepted.

Question 2

Name the TWO words to look for when identifying positive statements

Answer 2

‘Will’

‘Is’

Question 3

Name the key things about a POSITIVE statement

Answer 3

statement can be tested, the results can be examined and the statement can then be rejected or accepted.

Question 4

What are NORMATIVE statements based on and what are they?

Answer 4

based on value judgements and opinion rather than factual evidence, are subjective.

Question 5

What should you look for when identifying NORMATIVE statements?

Answer 5

Words like ‘should’ and if the statement is suggesting one action is more credible than another.

Question 6

Is this an example of a POSITIVE or NORMATIVE statement?:

‘Higher temperatures will lead to an increase in demand for suncream’

Answer 6

POSITIVE

Question 7

Is this an example of a POSITIVE or NORMATIVE statement?:

‘The government should increase tax on alcohol’

Answer 7

NORMATIVE

Question 8

What can value judgements influence?

Answer 8

Decision making and policy

Question 9

What can different economists make different judgements using?

Answer 9

The same statistic