PoliticalTests

12 Axes
Political Test

Politics in 12 dimensions, not two. Score yourself on ownership, markets, welfare, authority, security, religion, technology, trade and more, then see which ideology, party and historical figure you match.

Pick your length

Free · No signup · Every statement explained

ECONOMYSTATE AND LIBERTYSOCIETYWORLDOwnershipMarketsWelfareAuthoritySecurityStructureMoralityReligionTechnologyCultureTradeForeign
Sample resultClosest: Environmentalism

What you get

Who do you actually match?

  • 1

    12 separate scores

    Where you stand on each axis, from -100 to +100 between two named poles, drawn as a rose and as 12 bars.

  • 2

    Your closest ideologies

    The five traditions closest to you out of more than 120, each with a page on its history, beliefs and critics.

  • 3

    Party and historical twin

    The party closest to you in several countries, and the historical figures whose recorded views sit nearest yours.

  • 4

    Your opposite

    The ideology furthest from you, so you can see the strongest case on the other side.

How to read your result

Meet the rose.

Your result is drawn as a rose with 12 petals, one per axis. Here is a sample result, taken apart.

ECONOMYSTATE AND LIBERTYSOCIETYWORLDOwnershipMarketsWelfareAuthoritySecurityStructureMoralityReligionTechnologyCultureTradeForeign
  1. A petal is one axisTwelve petals, one per axis. Past the dashed ring the petal turns solid: you lean to the second pole. Here Trade leans Protected.
  2. Dotted and short: the first poleA petal that stops inside the ring is printed in dots. Here Religion leans Secular.
  3. The star is your scoreEach star marks your exact score from -100 to +100. Markets here is +38.
  4. The dashed ring is balancedA score of 0. A petal that ends on the ring means your answers on that axis evened out.
  5. Center: first poleThe middle of the rose is -100 on every axis: Public, Planned, Shared, Democratic, Liberty and so on.
  6. Rim: second poleThe outer circle is +100 on every axis: Private, Free, Self-reliant, Strong leader, Order and so on.
  7. The color band is the groupEconomy in red, State and liberty in navy, Society in mustard, World in green. Petals take the color of their group.
Annotated sample result of the 12 Axes Political Test.

The 12 axes

Four groups. Twelve axes.

Each axis runs from -100 to +100 between two named poles. Dots on the left of each bar mean the first pole, solid ink on the right means the second, just like the petals.

Economy

Equality vs Markets · 3 axes

  • Ownership

    PublicPrivate

    Whether key industries, land and services should be owned collectively or by the state, or privately.

  • Markets

    PlannedFree

    How much government should plan, regulate and steer the economy versus leaving prices and competition to markets.

  • Welfare

    SharedSelf-reliant

    Whether taxes and public programs should redistribute income and provide a broad safety net, or people should rely mainly on themselves, family and charity.

State and liberty

Liberty vs Authority · 3 axes

  • Authority

    DemocraticStrong leader

    Trust in elections, checks and balances and opposition rights versus a preference for strong leadership with fewer limits.

  • Security

    LibertyOrder

    The balance between privacy, free expression and civil liberties and policing, surveillance, punishment and public order.

  • Structure

    LocalCentral

    Whether power should sit with states, regions and communities or with one uniform national government.

Society

Progress vs Tradition · 4 axes

  • Morality

    ProgressiveTraditional

    Openness to social change on family, gender, sexuality and personal choices versus preserving established norms.

  • Religion

    SecularReligious

    Whether religion should stay separate from law and public institutions or shape them.

  • Technology

    EmbraceCaution

    Enthusiasm for new technology such as AI and genetic engineering versus caution to protect nature, jobs and ways of life.

  • Culture

    MulticulturalNational identity

    Welcoming many cultures and higher immigration versus prioritizing a shared national culture, language and assimilation.

World

Global vs Nation · 2 axes

  • Trade

    GlobalProtected

    Free trade and economic integration across borders versus tariffs and protecting domestic industry.

  • Foreign policy

    CooperationStrength

    Diplomacy, alliances and international institutions versus military strength, sovereignty and acting alone when needed.

From 12 axes to 2

Still want a compass?

The 12 axes fold back into the classic two-axis map. Each group score is the average of its axes. Economy goes across. State and liberty and Society are averaged to go up and down. World keeps its own score.

    • Ownership-22
    • Markets+38
    • Welfare-46
    Economy-10

    Compass across (x)

    • Authority-58
    • Security+26
    • Structure-24
    State and liberty-18.7

    Compass up and down (y) averaged with Society

    • Morality-36
    • Religion-64
    • Technology+44
    • Culture-30
    Society-21.5

    Compass up and down (y) averaged with State and liberty

    • Trade+52
    • Foreign policy-34
    World+9

    Its own score

Across (x)
Economy is -10. Left is Equality, right is Markets.
Up and down (y)
(-18.7 + -21.5) ÷ 2 = -20. Up is Authority and Tradition, down is Liberty and Progress.
World
+9 has no place on a two-axis map, so it is shown as its own score.
Computed live from the same sample answers used on this page.

Every statement explained

One answer, step by step.

Each statement moves one axis, sometimes a second one a little. Here is a real statement from the test and exactly what an answer does to your score. In the test, the Understand this question button opens the same neutral explainer.

  1. 1 The statement

    “Tariffs on imported goods are a good way to protect domestic jobs.”

    Scored on Trade only

  2. 2 You answer

    Agree, stored as +2 on a scale from -3 to +3.

  3. 3 The math

    +1 × +2 ÷ 3 = +0.67

    The statement's weight on Trade is +1. Agreeing moves you toward Protected, disagreeing toward Global.

  4. 4 Your Trade score

    GlobalProtected

    One step toward Protected, away from Global. Alone it would give +67. In Standard it is one of 6 Trade statements, so the others count just as much.

★ Understand this question, as shown in the test

Tariffs are taxes on imports that make foreign goods more expensive.

Supporters think tariffs help domestic producers compete and keep jobs at home.

Opponents think tariffs raise prices for consumers and invite other countries to respond.

Sample result

One result. Four answers.

This is a real result for one example set of answers. Yours is calculated the moment you finish and comes with a poster image and a link that holds your scores only.

Axes
12
Ideologies
124
Figures
258
★ Example resultStandard version

Closest ideology

Environmentalism82%
  1. 2Market SocialismSocialist family82%
  2. 3FeminismOther family81%
Historical twin
Itamar Franco
86% match
Your opposite
Juche
50% match

Three lengths

How deep do you want to go?

Same 12 axes in every version. Longer versions put more statements behind each axis, so one answer moves your score less and the result is steadier. Each dot below is one statement.

Compare the tests

12 axes, 4 axes or 2?

What each kind of political test measures, how long it takes and when to use which.

Read the comparison

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is the 12 Axes Political Test?

It is a free political ideology test that scores your views on 12 separate axes instead of one left to right line or a two-axis compass. The axes sit in four groups: economy, state and liberty, society and world. Your result shows your closest ideologies, the closest party in several countries, your historical twin and the ideology furthest from you.

What are the 12 axes?

Economy: ownership, markets and welfare. State and liberty: authority, security and structure. Society: morality, religion, technology and culture. World: trade and foreign policy. Each axis runs from -100 to +100 between two named poles, for example public versus private ownership.

How long does the 12 axes test take?

There are three lengths. Quick has 36 statements and takes about 5 minutes. Standard has 72 statements and takes about 10 minutes. Deep has all 162 statements and takes about 25 minutes. Longer versions give steadier scores on every axis.

How are my matches calculated?

Every ideology, party and historical figure has a profile on the same 12 axes, written from their platforms, writings and records. Your match is based on the distance between your 12 scores and that profile. 100% means the same position on every axis. For historical figures, axes with no reasonable basis are left out of the comparison.

Is the 12 axes test biased?

Statements describe policies and values without naming parties or politicians, and each axis has statements keyed in both directions, so a habit of agreeing does not push you to one side. Every statement has an explainer with the case for agreeing and for disagreeing. The method is published.

Do I need an account, and are my answers stored?

No account is needed. Your result link carries your 12 scores only, never your answers. Individual answers are stored only if you tick the optional research consent box at the end, and they are never sold.

How is this different from the Political Compass Test?

The compass test reduces your views to two numbers. The 12 Axes test keeps economic, civil, social and world questions apart and splits each into narrower topics, so two people who share a compass point can still get very different results. Your 12 scores are also projected onto the compass.

Read next

★ Guides

★ 12 axes · 4 groups · 3 lengths ★

Ready? Pick a length.

No account, no email. Your result, your matches and your poster are ready the moment you finish.