Centrism
Centrism is less a single doctrine than a disposition: a preference for moderate positions, compromise and incremental change over ideological consistency. Centrists judge policies case by case and are wary of the extremes of both left and right.
- Most good policy combines ideas from both left and right.
- Change should be gradual and evidence-based, building broad coalitions.
- Stable institutions and the rule of law matter more than ideological victory.
Centre parties have a long history in European parliaments, from the liberal centre of the nineteenth century to agrarian Centre parties in the Nordic countries. In recent decades centrism has been associated with figures and parties that present themselves as beyond left and right, such as Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance in France.
Critics say centrism lacks a vision of its own and drifts with whatever the status quo happens to be. Both left and right accuse it of avoiding hard choices on questions that require them.
Countries and historical regimes whose 12-axis profile is closer to Centrism than to any other ideology in the test.
Centrism is also the second-closest ideology for: Austria, Colombia, Brazil, Weimar Republic, Iceland, Malta, Finland, Czechia, West Germany, Latvia, Sweden’s “People’s Home”, Republic of Venice, Japan, France, United States, New Deal America.
Method: each ideology is placed at a typical position on the 12 axes, scored from 0 to 100 toward the first pole. Ranks compare it with the other 45 ideologies; matches are 100 minus the average distance across all axes. The positions are our own calibration, not taken from any third-party source.