16 Values vs 12 Axes

The 12 axes test focuses on how power and society are organised. The 16 values test includes that focus and adds four worldview dimensions about how we know things, how we live, and how decisions should be made.

	16 Values Test	12 Axes Test
Dimensions	16 — economy, state, society, worldview	12 — economy, state power, society
Questions	61	About 60
Time	5–7 minutes	About 5 minutes
Science × Faith	Yes	No
Technology × Simplicity	Yes	No
Individual × Collective	Yes	No
Pragmatism × Idealism	Yes	No
Security × Freedom	Yes	Yes
Federal × Unitary	Yes	Yes
Free & anonymous	Yes	Yes

The four extra dimensions

The 16 values test adds four worldview axes the 12 axes test does not measure: science (evidence vs faith), technology (innovation vs simplicity), individualism (individual vs collective) and pragmatism (results vs principles). These capture how you think, not just how you want the state organised.

Which one should you take?

Both tests are free, anonymous and take about five minutes, so the real question is what you want to understand about yourself. Here is how to decide.

Take the 12 axes test if your questions are mainly about institutions: who decides, how power is shared, how much freedom is traded for security. It covers the economy, the state and society, with a strong focus on the structure of power.
Take the 16 values test if you also want to understand your worldview: trust in science and faith, attitudes to technology, the individual versus the group, and results versus principles. These four extra dimensions capture how you think, not just how you want the state organised.

A useful way to think about it: the 12 axes test answers "how should society be run?", while the 16 values test also answers "how should we decide what is true and what is worth doing?". If your political self-understanding includes questions of faith, progress and evidence, the 16 values test will give you a noticeably more complete profile.

If you are mainly curious about institutions and prefer a quicker read, start with the 12 axes test. You can always take the 16 values test afterwards — its twelve institutional dimensions line up with the same engine, so your scores on those will be consistent.

Frequently asked questions

What is the main difference between the 16 values and 12 axes tests?

The 12 axes test focuses on how power and society are organised: economy, democracy, authority, centralisation, federalism, nationalism, tradition, security and culture. The 16 values test includes all of those and adds four worldview dimensions: science (evidence vs faith), technology (innovation vs simplicity), individualism (individual vs collective) and pragmatism (results vs principles).

Which test is better for a quick result?

Both take about five minutes. The 12 axes test uses roughly 60 questions and the 16 values test uses 61, so the time difference is negligible. Choose based on what you want to learn, not on speed.

Do the 12 axes and 12 values tests measure the same thing?

No. Despite having the same number of dimensions, they select different ones. The 12 axes test leans toward state power questions (federalism, security, culture), while the 12 values test leans toward worldview questions (science, technology, individualism). The 16 values test covers the union of both, plus pragmatism.

Why does the 16 values test include worldview dimensions?

Political position is not only about how the state should be organised — it is also about how you know things, how you live, and how decisions should be made. The four extra worldview axes (science, technology, individualism, pragmatism) capture that side, giving a fuller picture of a worldview than institutional preferences alone.

Take the 16 Values Test

Or try the 12 Axes Test.