How it works

The questions

Each axis has 24 statements: 12 that lean toward one pole and 12 toward the other, spread over four levels from mild ("most people on this side would agree") to extreme ("only the far end would agree"). Every test length draws the same number of statements from each side and each level, so agreeing with everything does not push you anywhere.

• Quick: 4 statements per axis, 48 in total.
• Standard: 8 per axis, one at every level on both sides, 96 in total.
• Full: 16 per axis, 192 in total.

The scoring

Agreeing with a mild statement says less than agreeing with an extreme one, and rejecting an extreme statement says less than rejecting a mild one. For each axis we find the position that best explains all of your answers on it, taking each statement's level into account, and report it as a percentage between the two poles.

The matching

Each of the 83 ideologies has a position on all 12 axes, with a written reason for each. Your match percentage is 100 minus the typical gap between your position and the ideology's across the 12 axes. You can read every ideology's positions on its page.

The same method compares you with 124 historical figures. Their positions are estimated from what they wrote, said and did, which makes them simplifications. We only include people who have died.

Your answers

The test runs in your browser. Your answers and scores are calculated on your device and never pass through our servers. A result link stores your 12 scores in the part of the address after the #.

What it is not

12axes is a way to explore political ideas, not a scientific instrument. A high match means your answers are close to a simplified model of an ideology, not that you belong to a movement.

Credits

The 12-axis model and the original statements come from the12axes test(MIT License, © 2020 8values / SapplyValues). We have edited and rewritten many of the statements. The ideology positions are our own.