To fix inequality, the state must step in
Each letter of the type code stands for the pole this type leans toward · neither pole is better than the other
Type distribution
3.23%As of August 5, 2026
These four axes build on well-established frameworks in political scienceHow we measure
The descriptions below are addressed to someone with this type.
Values even distribution, equality, and redistribution by the state
Everyone doing well together matters to you. You care not only about what markets produce but also about whether the gains are spread evenly, and you believe the state should give solid support to people who are struggling. You hope for a society whose shared safety net is wide enough that no one is left behind.
Values national sovereignty, identity, and interest
You think of your own country's interests and identity before anything else. You believe protecting its sovereignty and security comes before the demands of the international community, and you treasure what has long been safeguarded. You hope your country engages with the world while holding firmly to what is its own.
Values social order, safety, and the authority of the state
You value a society that runs safely and in good order. You believe that protecting the community calls for a degree of discipline and strong public authority, and a sense of stability matters a great deal to you. You hope for a society where shared rules and good order let everyone feel at ease.
Values change, diversity, and reform
You believe society needs change and reform to keep improving. You're open to new values and different ways of living, and you listen to the voices of minorities and the vulnerable. You hope for a society that keeps changing for the better.
A fun look at real historical figures mapped onto the four axes — not an academic classification
He put land in the hands of ordinary families with the Homestead Act and declared that labor comes before capital, shielded his nation's industry with protective tariffs — and with strong federal authority in wartime drove through the great reform of abolishing slavery.
Photo: Alexander Gardner, 1863 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
He built livelihoods on a state-led economy and never compromised on full independence — and with strong leadership drove through sweeping reforms: a new alphabet, modern education, and secularization.
Photo: Unknown author, 1932 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
A society where an ordinary person's life rests not on the luck of meeting good people, but on rules and institutions that keep working even when the people change. Where a worn-out institution is remade by our own hands — properly, not halfway — and where the rules we set are kept by everyone, with no cutting in line.
Underneath these hopes is a conviction that well-built institutions protect people better than individual goodwill. So this stance trusts reform that sets a direction and carries it through, more than a compromise that fizzles out. But there's a tension between deciding together, with everyone taking part, and pushing ahead in the direction it judges to be right — and this stance has to keep finding the balance between the two.
Progressive on 2 of the four axes, conservative on 2 — each axis can lean its own way.
The progressive–conservative label is a rough guide based on how this test defines its axes.
