Why people look for an alternative
The two-axis political chart, with an economic left–right line and an authority–liberty line, has become one of the most recognisable images in online politics. The best-known version is "The Political Compass", a test published by a UK-based organisation since 2001. It's a name and test that belong to that organisation, and we're not affiliated with it. Our test is an independent alternative built around a different design.
People look for alternatives for several reasons: they want more than two dimensions; they want to know how scores are calculated; they want to see which ideologies they resemble rather than a dot on a grid; or they want deeper explanations of what the positions mean.
How our test is different
Eight axes instead of two. As well as economics and authority, we measure culture (Progress vs Tradition), world (Global vs Nation), ecology (Ecology vs Growth), faith (Secular vs Religious), change (Revolution vs Reform) and scale (Local vs Central). You'll still see a familiar two-axis view, but you'll also see what it leaves out.
Published scoring. Our methodology page explains how each answer contributes to each axis, how scores are normalised to −100 to +100, and how ideology matches are calculated with a weighted distance formula.
Ideology matching. You'll see your three closest traditions out of 26, with similarity percentages, rather than only a position on a chart.
Depth. Every ideology has a long, neutral explainer page, and every axis has its own guide.
Different question formats. Besides agree/disagree statements, we include short scenarios and forced-choice trade-offs, which make it harder to sit on the fence and help separate close positions.
What we keep
Two-axis charts are popular because they're easy to read and easy to share. We keep that: your results include a simple two-axis chart of your economic and authority scores, alongside the full eight-axis radar chart. You can share either.
Comparing results across tests
People often notice that different political tests place them in different spots. That's expected. Tests use different questions, different numbers of answer options, different weighting and different definitions of the axes. A statement about trade might count as economic in one test and as nationalism in another. Rather than treating any single test as definitive, it can be useful to compare several and look for the consistent pattern. Our methodology page explains our choices so you can compare meaningfully.
A quick guide to the main types of political tests
- Two-axis chart tests place you on economic and authority axes. They are simple and widely shared.
- Multi-axis open-source tests, such as 8values and its derivatives, add more axes and match you to many ideology labels. They're transparent but usually offer little explanation.
- Party-matching quizzes compare your views with current parties or candidates. They are useful near elections, but they are partisan by design.
- Survey-based typologies, such as those published by research organisations, compare you with a representative sample in one country.
- Educational multi-axis tests, like ours, aim to combine multiple axes, transparent scoring and in-depth explanations without partisan matching.
Why more axes change results
Here is a concrete example. Imagine two people who both favour moderate redistribution and moderate civil liberties. On a two-axis chart they would sit on the same spot. Suppose, though, that one of them wants fossil fuels phased out quickly, supports decisions made by neighbourhood assemblies, and thinks religion should stay out of law, while the other prioritises jobs in heavy industry, wants national standards set centrally, and believes faith communities should shape public morality. On our eight axes, the first person is likely to match green politics or libertarian socialism, while the second might match paternalistic conservatism or Christian democracy. Their two-axis dots would be identical, but the traditions they belong to are quite different.
Neutrality
We never place living politicians on our charts and we don't match you to current parties. We think comparing yourself with political traditions and historical thinkers is more informative and less divisive. Our ideology pages present each tradition in its own terms, followed by criticisms from several directions.
Privacy
Your political views are sensitive information. You can take the test anonymously, we don't store your IP address alongside answers, and we ask for explicit consent before saving results. We don't use advertising trackers on test pages.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the official Political Compass? No. We're an independent test and not affiliated with the owners of "The Political Compass".
Will I get the same result as on other tests? Probably similar on the economic and authority axes, but not identical, because questions and scoring differ.
How long does it take? About eight minutes for the 60-question Quick test, or about 25 minutes for the 203-question Full test.
Is it free? Yes. An optional, AI-generated in-depth report is available if you want more detail.