Whether regions and communities should hold substantial self-government, or be governed uniformly from the centre.
What the two poles mean
Federal
A score toward 0 means you lean strongly toward federal. On this axis, positions near this pole reflect the priorities described above.
Unitary
A score toward 100 means you lean strongly toward unitary. On this axis, positions near this pole reflect the priorities described above.
A common misconception
Federalism is often confused with decentralisation. Federalism is specifically about regional self-government inside a country — states, provinces or cantons with their own powers — while decentralisation is the broader principle of spreading power anywhere.
A common misconception is that federal countries are automatically weaker or more divided. In practice federalism exists precisely to hold diverse regions together: Switzerland, Germany, Canada and the United States all use federal structures to let regions keep distinct identities while sharing a common state. Federalism can strengthen national cohesion rather than undermine it.
The reverse also deserves nuance: unitary countries are not necessarily centralised in practice. France and Japan are unitary yet delegate many decisions to local bodies. The federal-unitary axis is about constitutional structure and guaranteed regional powers, not about how day-to-day administration happens.
How it relates to the other axes
Federalism strongly correlates with decentralisation, and both tend to be associated with stronger local democracy.
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.