What this axis measures
The culture axis captures how you feel about social change: whether norms around family, gender, sexuality, morality, language and identity should evolve, or whether inherited customs and institutions deserve protection. The Progress pole represents the view that society should keep questioning and changing its norms, embracing new ways of living and extending acceptance to people and lifestyles that were previously marginalised. The Tradition pole represents the view that inherited customs, family structures and institutions carry accumulated wisdom and provide stability and meaning, so they should be preserved and changed only with great care.
In many democracies since the 1970s, this axis has become as important as economics in predicting how people vote. Political scientists have described a shift from politics organised mainly around class to politics organised around values, education and identity. This is why our test measures it separately rather than assuming that economic and cultural views go together.
The Progress pole
People who score towards Progress tend to believe that many traditional norms reflected the interests of those who held power, that individuals should be free to define their own identities and relationships, and that social change over the past century, such as expanded rights for women and minorities, has mostly been positive. Items such as "Same-sex marriage should be legal" and "Society benefits when people question traditional authority" sit on this side of the scale.
Progressivism and anarcho-communism score highest here, with libertarian socialism, cosmopolitanism, social democracy and green politics also leaning Progress. Note that people can be culturally progressive while holding very different economic views: many social liberals, classical liberals and libertarians also lean this way, for different reasons.
The Tradition pole
People who score towards Tradition tend to value continuity, believe that customs often contain wisdom that isn't obvious at first, see marriage and family as central social institutions, and worry that rapid change weakens community and moral bonds. Items such as "Old customs often contain wisdom modern people overlook" and "Schools should teach traditional moral values" sit here. This view draws on Burke's idea of society as a partnership between generations and on many religious traditions.
Theocratic traditionalism and historical fascism score furthest towards Tradition, followed by national conservatism, conservatism, distributism and Christian democracy. Again, economic views vary: distributists and Christian democrats lean slightly towards Equality, while fiscal conservatives favour Markets.
The middle
A middle score often reflects selective views, accepting some changes while defending some traditions. Many people support, say, legal same-sex marriage but also value traditional family life for themselves. Others distinguish between what they personally believe and what they think the law should enforce, a distinction libertarians often make.
A short history of the debate
Disputes between tradition and change are ancient, but the modern form emerged with the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, which challenged inherited authority in religion, monarchy and social hierarchy. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries brought debates over women's suffrage, divorce, secular education and civil rights. The 1960s marked a turning point in many countries, with rapid shifts in attitudes towards sexuality, gender roles and authority. Since then, issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, gender identity and multiculturalism have become central in what are often called "culture wars".
A common misreading
A Tradition score is sometimes read as hostility to particular groups, and a Progress score as rejection of all customs. Neither follows. Many people who score towards Tradition hold inclusive personal views but value continuity in institutions; many who score towards Progress keep religious or family traditions in their own lives. The scale measures attitudes to social change in general, not attitudes towards any group of people.
How the test measures it
Items cover family structures, gender roles, sexuality, abortion, school curricula, language, art and the value of customs. Some items ask about personal values and some about law, so that people who are personally traditional but legally permissive are scored accurately. Statements are worded in both directions.
How to read your score
Scores run from −100 (Tradition) to +100 (Progress). A strong score in either direction suggests a consistent outlook across many issues. Moderate scores suggest mixed views; you may want to look at your individual answers to see where you diverged. This axis is weighted more heavily in ideology matching, together with the economic and authority axes.
Why this axis matters for matching
Two people with identical economic scores can match very different ideologies because of this axis. For example, a strong Markets score paired with Progress points towards classical liberalism or libertarianism, while the same economic score paired with Tradition points towards fiscal conservatism. Similarly, Equality plus Progress points towards social democracy or progressivism, while Equality plus Tradition points towards distributism or Christian democracy.
Questions to reflect on
- When a custom's original reason is unclear, should it be kept until proven harmful, or dropped until proven useful?
- Should the law reflect a shared moral code, or leave moral questions to individuals?
- Has social change over the last fifty years mostly made life better?
- What institutions do you think are worth protecting, and why?