What this axis measures
The authority axis concerns how much power the state should hold over individuals, and how much order and control a society needs. At the Authority pole are views that a strong state, firm law enforcement, national security powers and social discipline are necessary for a safe and functioning society. At the Liberty pole are views that individuals should be free from state control, that civil liberties come first, and that power should be minimised and checked.
This axis became prominent in popular political tests because it explains differences the economic axis misses. A Marxist-Leninist and an anarcho-communist both want economic equality, but they disagree completely about the state. A libertarian and a national conservative may both favour markets, but disagree about surveillance, drug laws and the power of police. The authority axis captures these differences.
The Authority pole
People who score towards Authority often believe that social order is fragile, that clear laws firmly enforced protect the vulnerable, that national security requires strong powers, and that some limits on individual freedom are a reasonable price for safety and stability. Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan (1651) is the classic statement: without a powerful sovereign, he argued, life would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short".
Authority-leaning traditions vary widely. Paternalistic conservatives want a strong state to maintain order and provide welfare. Technocrats want expert-led coordination. Developmental states use strong central power to direct growth. Theocratic traditions give religious authority a public role. Marxism-Leninism and historical fascism represent the extreme end, each with a one-party state, though with opposite goals.
The Liberty pole
People who score towards Liberty tend to believe that government power is the biggest danger to individual freedom, that adults should make their own choices, that civil liberties such as speech, privacy and assembly should be strongly protected, and that power should be decentralised and limited. John Stuart Mill's harm principle, the idea that power can rightly be used against someone only to prevent harm to others, is a classic statement.
This pole includes libertarians and anarcho-capitalists on the market side, and libertarian socialists and anarcho-communists on the egalitarian side. Classical liberals also lean this way. The common thread is suspicion of concentrated power, whether in government or, for left-libertarians, in corporations as well.
The middle
A middle score usually means you accept a democratic state with meaningful powers but also strong checks and civil liberties. Most social democrats, social liberals and centrists sit near the middle. A middle score can also reflect a mix, for example favouring strict policing but strong free-speech protections.
A short history of the debate
The tension between order and freedom runs through political philosophy, from Plato's guardians to Locke's limited government. The twentieth century made it vivid: totalitarian regimes on the left and right demonstrated the dangers of unlimited power, while weak states in civil wars showed the dangers of too little. After 1945, democracies built constitutional protections and human rights frameworks. Debates today concern surveillance technology, counter-terrorism powers, emergency powers during pandemics, and free speech online.
How the test measures it
Items on this axis cover policing, surveillance, civil liberties, emergency powers, drug laws, censorship, military service and the limits of government. Scenarios ask you to weigh security against freedom in concrete situations, such as data collection to prevent crime. Items use both Authority and Liberty wording.
How to read your score
Scores run from −100 (Liberty) to +100 (Authority). A score strongly towards Liberty means you consistently prioritise freedom from state control; strongly towards Authority means you consistently prioritise order and state capacity. A score near zero suggests you weigh these case by case. Because this axis is double-weighted in our ideology matching (together with economics and culture), it strongly shapes your top results.
Authority is not the same as authoritarianism
A moderate Authority score does not mean you favour dictatorship. Many people who lean this way support democratic elections, independent courts and a free press, but want firmer enforcement of laws, stronger borders or more state capacity to deliver services. Political scientists reserve "authoritarian" for systems that remove meaningful political competition and civil liberties. Our scale measures preferences about the reach of state power, not support for any particular regime.
Ideologies at each end
Nearest the Liberty pole: anarcho-communism and anarcho-capitalism, then libertarianism and libertarian socialism. Nearest the Authority pole: historical fascism and Marxism-Leninism, then state capitalism, theocracy and technocracy.
Questions to reflect on
- Would you accept more surveillance if it significantly reduced crime?
- Should adults be allowed to take risks that harm only themselves?
- In a crisis, should governments be able to suspend some normal rights temporarily?
- Do you trust government institutions more or less than large private companies?
Many people discover that their position on this axis depends on who holds power. Our test tries to measure principles rather than trust in particular governments, by asking about rules that apply regardless of who is in office.