The 12 Axes TestLeft and right
is two words.
You're 12 axes.
The 12 Axes test is a free political test with 60 statements. It scores where you stand on power, markets, faith, borders and the future, each axis measured separately, so your contradictions survive.
Start the test ↓Take the 12 Axes test
60 statements · answer belowMost decisions should be made by the level of government closest to the people they affect.
What the 12 Axes test measures
Each of the 12 axes is scored on its own. Being economically left tells us nothing about whether you are religious, hawkish or a technophile, so we never assume it. These are the 12 axes and their two poles:
Structure · Federal / Unitary
Where should power sit: close to home, or at the centre?
Power · Democracy / Autocracy
Who gets the final word: the people, or those in charge?
Liberty · Freedom / Security
How much personal freedom should be traded for order?
World · Global / National
Does your loyalty stop at the border?
Force · Pacifist / Militarist
Is military power a guarantee of peace or a threat to it?
Belonging · Pluralist / Assimilationist
Should newcomers keep their culture or adopt yours?
Ownership · Collective / Private
Who should own the things that make wealth?
Markets · Planned / Free market
Should the state steer the economy or let it run?
Trade · Open / Protectionist
Should goods and capital flow freely between countries?
Faith · Secular / Religious
Does religion belong in public life?
Values · Progressive / Traditional
Should social norms change, or be conserved?
Future · Techno / Bio-conservative
Embrace technology that changes what we are, or hold the line?
How the 12 Axes political test works
Answer 60 statements
Five statements per axis, phrased in both directions so agreeing with everything doesn't skew your result. Agree, disagree, or stay neutral.
Get 12 axis scores
Each of the 12 axes lands somewhere between its two poles, with a strength label from balanced to very strong. No forced left–right summary.
Find your closest ideologies
Your 12-axis profile is matched against 42 ideologies, from social democracy to anarcho-capitalism, using the distance across all 12 axes.
Share and compare
Your 12 Axes result lives in its link. Save a share card, send it, and see how your friends compare.
42 ideologies in the 12 Axes test
Every ideology has a hand-calibrated position on the same 12 axes you answer on. Your result shows the three closest matches.
Left
- Democratic Socialism
- Market Socialism
- Left Populism
Centre-left
- Social Liberalism
- Social Democracy
- World Federalism
Centre
- Dirigisme
- Technocracy
- Centrism
- Third Way
- Georgism
- Communitarianism
Centre-right
- Neoliberalism
- Liberal Conservatism
- Christian Democracy
- Distributism
- Constitutional Monarchism
Right
- Fusionism
- Conservatism
- Neoconservatism
- National Conservatism
- Paleoconservatism
- Right Populism
Libertarian
- Transhumanism
- Classical Liberalism
- Libertarianism
- Anarcho-Capitalism
Authoritarian left
- Marxism–Leninism
- Maoism
- Trotskyism
Authoritarian right
- Developmental Authoritarianism
- Absolute Monarchism
- Theocracy
- Reactionary Traditionalism
- Fascism
Green
- Eco-Socialism
- Green Politics
Radical left
- Libertarian Socialism
- Anarcho-Communism
- Syndicalism
- Communalism
- Anarcho-Primitivism
12 Axes vs the Political Compass and 8values
Most political tests reduce you to two or four numbers. This one keeps economic, social, foreign-policy and technology questions apart, so two people who share a quadrant can still get very different results.
| Test | Axes | Questions | What it separates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Political Compass | 2 | 62 | Economic left/right, authoritarian/libertarian |
| 8values | 4 | 70 | Economy, diplomacy, government, society |
| 12 Axes test | 12 | 60 | Structure, power, liberty, world, force, belonging, ownership, markets, trade, faith, values, future |
12 Axes test FAQ
What is the 12 Axes test?
The 12 Axes test (also written 12axes) is a free online political test that measures your views on 12 independent axes instead of a single left–right line. You rate 60 statements and get a score on each axis, a radar chart of your profile and your closest matching ideologies.
How long does the 12 Axes political test take?
About 8 minutes. There are 60 statements, five for each of the 12 axes. Your progress is saved in your browser, so you can leave and resume later.
Is my data stored?
No. Scoring happens in your browser and your result is encoded in the result link. There is no account and no database of answers.
Why 12 axes instead of a political compass?
A two-axis compass hides most of what people actually disagree about. With 12 axes, a green libertarian and a religious socialist get different results, even if they would land in the same compass quadrant.
How are the ideology matches calculated?
Each ideology has a position on all 12 axes. We rank them by their distance from your profile and shows a match percentage. Treat them as neighbours, not labels.
Is the 12 Axes test accurate?
It is a tool for reflection, not a scientific instrument. Results depend on how you read each statement, so retaking the test later and comparing results is part of the fun.
Can I compare my result with friends?
Yes. Every result has its own link and a share card in two sizes, one for feeds and one for stories. Send the link to a friend; when they open it they see your full profile and can take the quiz themselves to compare where you agree and where you split.
Which political quiz should I take first?
If you only want a rough left–right placement, a two-axis compass is enough. If you have ever felt that a compass result missed something, such as your views on religion, war, immigration or new technology, take this one and look at the axes where you are strongest.