Whether newcomers and minorities should adopt the dominant culture, or be encouraged to maintain their own.
What the two poles mean
Assimilation
A score toward 0 means you lean strongly toward assimilation. On this axis, positions near this pole reflect the priorities described above.
Multiculturalism
A score toward 100 means you lean strongly toward multiculturalism. On this axis, positions near this pole reflect the priorities described above.
A common misconception
This axis is frequently misunderstood as a personal test of tolerance. It actually measures a policy question: should newcomers assimilate into the dominant culture, or should distinct cultures be preserved side by side?
Scoring high on assimilation does not mean you dislike immigrants. It usually reflects a belief that shared language, customs and values are what keep a society cohesive, and that integration helps newcomers succeed economically and socially. Many people with this view are fully supportive of immigration — they just want the destination culture to remain the common reference point.
Scoring high on multiculturalism does not mean you reject the host culture. It usually reflects a belief that diversity itself is valuable, that minority cultures deserve space and recognition, and that a society can be strong precisely because it contains many ways of life.
How it relates to the other axes
Culture correlates with nationalism (shared identity) and tends to sit opposite to globalism.
Where you stand
Find out where you stand on this axis — and the other 15 — by taking the 16 Values Test. It is free, anonymous and takes about five minutes.