The degree to which markets should be supervised and corrected by public rules, or allowed to operate freely.
What the two poles mean
Regulation
A score toward 0 means you lean strongly toward regulation. On this axis, positions near this pole reflect the priorities described above.
Free Markets
A score toward 100 means you lean strongly toward free markets. On this axis, positions near this pole reflect the priorities described above.
A common misconception
A high "free markets" score does not mean you want no laws at all. It measures how much you trust competition and private pricing versus public rules to organise the economy — not whether you want anarchy.
The word "market" is often confused with "unregulated". Even the strongest market advocates usually accept basic rules: property rights, contract enforcement and anti-fraud protections. The real disagreement is about how much additional intervention — price controls, subsidies, tariffs, licensing — helps or hurts ordinary people.
A low free-market score does not mean you distrust prices entirely either. Most people who favour regulation still rely on markets for most goods; they simply believe some areas (health, energy, housing) need stronger public steering because competition alone produces poor outcomes there.
How it relates to the other axes
Markets often moves together with ownership: those who trust free markets tend to prefer private ownership of industry.
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.