The balance you strike between state-provided social support and the expectation that individuals provide for themselves.
What the two poles mean
Welfare
A score toward 0 means you lean strongly toward welfare. On this axis, positions near this pole reflect the priorities described above.
Self-Reliance
A score toward 100 means you lean strongly toward self-reliance. On this axis, positions near this pole reflect the priorities described above.
A common misconception
A self-reliance score is not a judgment on the poor. It reflects where you think the balance should lie between state support and individual responsibility — a design question about incentives, not a verdict on people.
Supporters of a strong welfare state are often caricatured as wanting to subsidise laziness; supporters of self-reliance are often caricatured as heartless. Neither caricature is accurate. The welfare axis is really about trade-offs: more generous support reduces hardship but can weaken work incentives and raise taxes; less support strengthens self-reliance but leaves more people exposed to shocks.
Most people actually hold a mixed position: generous support for the genuinely unable, stronger expectations for those who can work. Where you sit on the axis describes which side of that balance you weight more heavily, not whether you care about vulnerable people at all.
How it relates to the other axes
Welfare is closely tied to equality: people who favour strong welfare provision usually also favour more equal outcomes.
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.