And it often does this in unexpected ways, according to new research from the Political Personas Project, one of the most comprehensive attempts to create profiles of different types of Australians based on their lifestyles, social values and politics.

Conducted by Fairfax Media in collaboration with the Australian National University and Netherlands-based political research enterprise Kieskompas, the project revealed seven groups of Australians or 'personas', representative of the seven most dominant patterns of thinking in Australia.

The charts below, based on the results of a nationally-representative survey of 2600 Australians conducted as part of the project, show some of the more surprising ways the daily habits of the seven personas reflect their political outlooks.

You love buying new things

If buying shiny new things sends you to the seventh heaven, chances are you support offshore processing and don't spend a lot of effort sourcing ethical food, according to the research.

Egalitarians and Cosmopolitans, the two groups of Australians least likely to agree with the statement "To me, one of the most enjoyable things in life is buying something new", were also the least likely to agree with the statement "Offshore processing of asylum seekers should continue".

The same two 'tribes' were also the most likely to agree with the statement "It is important to me that the food I eat has been sourced ethically".

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Traditionalists and Mod-cons were the most likely to say buying something new was "one of the most enjoyable things in life". They were also among the most likely to support offshore processing and the least likely to place importance on sourcing food ethically.

Jill Sheppard, an ANU researcher and lecturer in politics and international relations involved with the project, said this reflected the difference between 'materialist' and 'post-materialist' world views.

When life is tough, people focus on more basic 'material' needs, such as safety, food and shelter, she said. Once these are satisfied, the focus shifts to 'post-material' goals, such as self-expression, intellectual fulfilment, belonging and the 'greater good'.

"People with materialist values worry more about looking after themselves and their families than the wider world around them," Dr Sheppard said.

"Materialist values dominated Western liberal democracies like ours until relatively recently. Post-materialist views are a luxury afforded by very high living standards in Australia."

Egalitarians and Cosmopolitans are the most likely personas to be university-educated. People with university educations tend to be more socially progressive and to consider how politics affects society at large, not just themselves, Dr Sheppard said.

You don't care about staying fit

If hitting the gym isn't a top priority for you, you probably favour traditional social values, feel like everything is changing too fast and don't care much whether your job is personally fulfilling.

The personas least likely to agree with the statement "It is important to me to stay fit" - Lavish Mod-cons, Pessimists and Anti-establishment Firebrands - were more likely to agree that "There is too little emphasis on traditional values in Australia".

Similarly, the personas most likely to say staying fit was important - Cosmopolitans and Savers - were the least likely to agree with the statement "Everything is changing too often and too fast".

The same split emerged when it came to personal fulfilment at work, with the personas who cared most about fitness also being the most likely to agree with the statement "It is important that my job provides a sense of personal fulfilment."

Dr Sheppard said this may again reflect the divide between materialist and post-materalist values, with Egalitarians, Cosmopolitans and Savers also being more likely be university-educated and optimistic about the future.

"Fitness is a 'higher-order need'. We go to the gym because our work and economic lives allow it," she said.

Your spend a lot of time in front of the mirror

This is one of the most telling traits. Personas that cared a lot about how they look were very likely to support free trade and very unlikely to think politicians ignore people in rural and regional Australia.

They were also more likely to support manufacturing more in Australia and to believe that the price of housing is creating "a class system in Australia".

Anti-establishment Firebrands, Pessimists, Egalitarians and Traditionalists were the least appearance-oriented of the seven personas, as well as the least likely to agree with the statement "Free trade with other countries has made Australia better off."

Agreement with the statement "The way I look is very important to me" was also strongly linked - although in the opposite direction - with the statements "Politicians ignore people in rural and regional areas", "We rely too heavily on foreign imports and should manufacture more in Australia" and "The price of housing is creating a class system in Australia".

"This is probably a factor of age as much as anything. Free trade and globalisation have largely benefited Generations X and Y," Dr Sheppard said.

"And it is probably safe to assume that looks stop being so important for most people after a certain age!"

Other factors at play include location and financial security - the three groups that cared most about looks - Mod-cons, Cosmos and Savers - were more likely to live in capital cities, and to agree with the statement "I feel good about how much money I have to spend".

Feelings of financial security showed strong links to other political and social attitudes, including optimism about the future and confidence in society.

"This is what we would expect," Dr Sheppard said. "How you look is a 'higher order' need, meaning something that people can worry about once they have everything else in order."