The value you place on preserving established customs and institutions versus embracing social change.
What the two poles mean
Tradition
A score toward 0 means you lean strongly toward tradition. On this axis, positions near this pole reflect the priorities described above.
Progress
A score toward 100 means you lean strongly toward progress. On this axis, positions near this pole reflect the priorities described above.
A common misconception
Valuing tradition is not the same as opposing all change. It means you think established customs and institutions carry accumulated wisdom worth preserving, even as society evolves.
A common reading of the tradition axis is "old versus new", with tradition treated as mere nostalgia. In practice, a high tradition score usually reflects a belief that tested practices — religious rituals, family structures, constitutional conventions — encode lessons that pure logic or fashion can miss. Traditionalists typically accept change; they just want it to be careful and incremental rather than wholesale.
On the other side, a low tradition score is not disrespect for the past. It usually reflects a stronger belief that inherited practices can encode prejudice or inefficiency, and that society should be free to redesign them when they no longer serve people well.
How it relates to the other axes
Tradition correlates with nationalism and often with faith (the science axis) — all lean toward continuity.
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.