Statement 01 of 60
State and local laws should have precedence over national laws
Answers stay on this device unless you buy a Dossier. Keys 1 to 7 pick an answer while the form has focus.
36, 60 or 288 statements, 7 answers per question, scored on 12 axes and matched to 38 ideologies: for self-reflection, not a scientific measurement.
What you get: a sample result
This is a sample of the result the 12 axes political test gives, with example scores. Finish the test and the result shows your own twelve positions, your closest ideology, country and figure.
Portraits: Mikhail Gorbachev: Vladimir Vyatkin, derivative work by Jbarta, CC BY-SA 3.0; Willy Brandt: Engelbert Reineke, CC BY-SA 3.0 de; Clement Attlee: public domain; Mário Soares: Photo Claude TRUONG-NGOC, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The ideology uses four axes. Countries, figures and regimes use all twelve. A country is scored on its current government's policy and a figure on their own views, so the home country of your closest figure may not be your closest country.
The tiers of people and countries are our own estimates from public positions and policies. They are approximate, they are not an endorsement, and they say nothing about the people of any country.
For self-reflection, not a scientific measurement.
Before you start
Answer how you feel about each statement, not how you think a party would. The 12 axes political test saves your answers in this browser, so a reload keeps your place. For self-reflection, not a scientific measurement.
How the 12 axes political test is scored
Each answer carries a weight: Strongly Agree counts 2, Agree counts 1, Partially Agree counts 0.5, Neutral/Unsure counts 0, Partially Disagree counts −0.5, Disagree counts −1, Strongly Disagree counts −2. A statement from the first four groups of its axis adds its weight, a statement from the last four groups subtracts it. The quick test (36 statements) scores an axis as 50 + (50/6) × the sum, which gives 0 to 100 in steps of about 8.3. The standard test (60) scores 50 + 5 × the sum, which gives 0 to 100 in steps of 2.5. The full version scores 50 + the sum, which gives 2 to 98 in steps of 0.5. Every score is the percent of the axis' first value.
Which statements you get
The full 12 axes political test asks all 288 statements in a random order. The standard test asks 60, the original quick version: for each axis a coin is tossed, heads takes groups 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7, tails takes groups 7, 6, 5, 3 and 1, and one statement of the three in each group is drawn. The 60 statements are then shuffled. The quick test asks 36: three statements per axis, two pointing one way and one the other, from groups 2, 3 and 5 on heads or 5, 4 and 2 on tails (7 minus the group, an exact mirror).
| Axis | >90 | 75–90 | 60–75 | 40–60 | 25–40 | 10–25 | 0–10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal – Unitary | Confederal | Federational | Federal | Centrist | Unitary | Centralized | Extremely Centralized |
| Democratic – Autocratic | Liquid Democracy | Direct Democracy | Representative Democracy | Centrist | Bicameral | Oligarchy | Autocracy |
| Internationalism – Nationalism | World Government | Internationalism | Cooperation | Non-Interventionist | Anti-Interventionist | Nationalist | Ultranationalist |
| Militarist – Pacifist | Expansionist | Militarist | Military-Focused | Neutral | Non-Aggressive | Pacifist | Anti-War |
| Security – Freedom | Totalitarian | Authoritarian | Statist | Centrist | Liberal | Libertarian | Anarchist |
| Collectivize – Privatize | Communist | Socialist | Social Democratic | Mixed Economic | Economic Liberal | Capitalist | Extreme Capitalist |
| Irreligious – Religious | Antitheist | Atheist | Agnostic | Moderate | Spiritual | Religious | Ultra-religious |
| Progressive – Traditional | Revolutionary | Culturally Left | Progressive | Moderate | Conservative | Traditionalist | Reactionary |
| Assimilationist – Multiculturalist | Ethnonationalist | Monoculturalist | Assimilationist | Centrist | Polyculturalist | Multiculturalist | Racially Colorblind |
| Planned – Markets | Planned Economy | Interventionism | Regulationism | Balanced | Markets | Free Market | Laissez-Faire |
| Isolationism – Globalism | Isolationist | Protectionist | Limited Trade | Moderate | Free Trade | Globalist | Global Economy |
| Acceleration – Bioconservative | Transhumanist | Accelerationist | Technological | Neutral | Bioconservative | Decelerationist | Primitive |
How the closest ideology is chosen
In the 12 axes political test the library holds 38 ideologies, each with four values from 0 to 100 for economy, government, diplomacy and society. Your scores on Collectivize–Privatize, Security–Freedom, Internationalism–Nationalism and Progressive–Traditional are compared with them. The ideology with the smallest sum of squared differences is your closest match, and the next four are shown too. Closeness is 100 minus half the distance, rounded, so 100 means the same four values. The other eight axes are not part of the match.
Questions
How long does the 12 axes political test take?
The short version has 60 statements and takes about 10 minutes; the full version has 288 and takes about 45. Your progress is saved in your browser, so you can close the tab and come back.
What do the seven answer options mean, and how much does each one count?
Strongly Agree counts 2, Agree counts 1, Partially Agree counts 0.5, Neutral/Unsure counts 0, Partially Disagree counts −0.5, Disagree counts −1, Strongly Disagree counts −2. Neutral/Unsure adds nothing to either side.
How does the ideology match work?
Four of your twelve scores, economy, government, diplomacy and society, are compared with the same four values of each of the 38 ideologies. The smallest distance wins. Closeness is 100 minus half the distance, rounded, and the next four ideologies are shown as well.
Can I go back and change an answer?
Yes. Back takes the last answer and its points away, and you can step back as far as the first statement. After you finish, start the test again to change answers.
Are my answers saved or sent anywhere?
Answers are kept only in your browser's local storage, so a reload keeps your place. The free test never sends your answers to a server; only the paid Dossier does, if you buy it and agree. Paid answers are kept encrypted for 180 days after payment so the Dossier can be rebuilt, then deleted; unpaid answers are deleted within 48 hours. A share link holds just your twelve scores. Unless you are in the EEA, the UK or Switzerland, those twelve scores are saved anonymously for statistics when you finish, with no name, IP address or exact time; the privacy page says what is stored, for how long and how to have it deleted.
How do I share my result?
On your result page, save your result as an image, or copy the result link, or send it by WhatsApp or X. The link opens the same result, with the same twelve scores.
What do labels like Social Democratic or Libertarian on my result mean?
Every axis has seven labels, one for each score band. Social Democratic is the label for a score above 60 and up to 75 on Collectivize–Privatize, Libertarian the label for 10 to 25 on Security–Freedom. The table above lists all seven for every axis.
Why are some statements worded differently from the original 12axes quiz?
The statements come from the open-source bank under the MIT license. A few that read as insults or calls to harm were reworded in a milder tone with the same direction, so they push the same axis the same way. Scoring, weights and the choice of statements are unchanged.
How are my closest historical figure and country chosen?
Every person and every country has a tier from 0 to 6 on each of the 12 axes, set by us from public positions and policies; the tiers stand for the scores 95, 83, 68, 50, 32, 17, 5. Your twelve scores are compared with them, and the closeness is 100 minus the root-mean-square gap over all twelve axes. The closest one is shown with two runners-up. These are rough estimates, not an endorsement and not a judgement of any country's people.