Whether key industries and services should be owned and run by the public, or by private actors in competition.
What the two poles mean
Public
A score toward 0 means you lean strongly toward public. On this axis, positions near this pole reflect the priorities described above.
Private
A score toward 100 means you lean strongly toward private. On this axis, positions near this pole reflect the priorities described above.
A common misconception
Preferring public ownership does not necessarily mean full state socialism. It is a spectrum about which services — if any — should be publicly owned, from utilities and transport to entire industries.
Many people assume public ownership means the state controls every shop and factory. In reality, almost every economy mixes public and private ownership: roads, schools, postal services and public broadcasters are commonly state-owned even in very market-friendly countries. The axis asks how far that mix should go.
The reverse is true too. Supporting private ownership does not mean opposing every public service; it usually means you believe competitive provision leads to better quality and lower cost for most goods, while acknowledging that some core services may still be state-run.
How it relates to the other axes
Ownership overlaps with markets (regulation) and centralisation, since public ownership usually implies more centralised control.
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.