Political compass
The political compass sums up politics on two lines: economic left and right, and authoritarian and libertarian. Here are the 38 ideologies of the 12 Axes test on that grid, what each part of it means, and the countries and historical figures that fall there. If you have taken the test on this device, your own dot is on the chart.
Find your position: take the 12 Axes testYour own position appears here once you have taken the test on this device. Take the 12 Axes test
Economic runs from −10 (left) to +10 (right), authority from −10 (libertarian) to +10 (authoritarian). Both come from the Economy and Power axes; a score in the Balanced band counts as centre.
Left and right is economic. The further left, the more you want shared or public ownership and a narrow gap between rich and poor. The further right, the more you trust private property, markets and the inequality that comes with them.
Up and down is about the state's power over people. At the top, order, surveillance and firm leadership are worth some loss of liberty. At the bottom, privacy and personal choice come first, up to the point of wanting no state at all.
Both lines run from −10 to +10. On this site they come from two of the twelve axes of the 12 Axes test, Economy and Power, and a score inside the Balanced band (40 to 60) counts as centre. That gives four quadrants, four centre lines and a centre square. The shaded cross on the chart marks that band.
Every ideology, country and historical figure on this site falls in one of nine areas. The lists show who lands where.
Collective or state ownership run by a strong state that puts the party, order or the revolution ahead of individual liberty. Leninist and state socialist traditions sit here.
Private or state-owned firms that run for profit, under a government that tolerates little dissent. Authoritarian and state capitalism sit here.
Shared ownership with as little coercion as possible. Anarchist and libertarian socialist traditions sit here.
Private property and free markets with the smallest state possible, or none at all.
A strong state with a mixed or state-guided economy. Technocrats, populists and fascist movements land here: they differ on much else, but agree on firm rule more than on who should own what.
Personal freedom first, with a moderate view of ownership. Mutualists, egoist and religious anarchists and moderate libertarians of left and right meet here.
Common or public ownership, with balanced views on the state's power. Marxist and democratic socialist currents land here: they want deep economic change, and differ on how much state it takes.
Private enterprise, lower taxes and lighter regulation, with balanced views on the state's power. Conservatives, neoliberals and classical liberals land here.
Balanced on both lines. Social democrats, liberals, Christian democrats and moderate conservatives all share this square, which is where the compass helps least: what tells them apart is culture, religion and foreign policy, not these two lines.
The same chart works for the 109 countries and 109 historical figures of the 12 Axes test. Their positions are this site's editorial estimates of how a country is governed today and of what a person argued for and did.
A single dot hides most of what people disagree about. Two people in the same corner can be split on immigration, free trade, religion in public life, the military and new technology, and the compass will never show it.
The 12 Axes test keeps those questions apart. It scores twelve axes, gives you this compass position as one view of the result, and matches you with the closest ideology, country and historical figure across all twelve.
Find your position: take the 12 Axes testAuthoritarian left (state or collective ownership with a strong state), authoritarian right (markets with a strong state), libertarian left (shared ownership with little coercion) and libertarian right (free markets with a small state). This site also marks the centre lines between them, for positions that are balanced on one of the two axes.
Wanting the economy owned or directed collectively, usually by the state, and accepting a strong state that limits individual liberty to get there. Leninism, Stalinism and state socialism are the classic examples.
Wanting private property and free markets with as small a state as possible. Classical liberals lean this way, and objectivists, voluntaryists and anarcho-capitalists sit in the far corner.
Positions that are balanced on both lines: a mixed economy and a state that neither dominates nor withdraws. On this site that means Economy and Power scores between 40 and 60. Many mainstream traditions share this square.
Take the 12 Axes test. Your Economy and Power scores are converted to compass coordinates, and your dot appears on this chart and on your result page, next to the 38 ideologies.
No. The Political Compass is a separate website, politicalcompass.org, with its own test and its own scoring. This chart is a two-axis view of the 12 Axes test, built from its Economy and Power axes.