12axes.

Method & sources

How your report is calculated

Follow your answers from individual statements to twelve paired scores and source-based comparisons.

A shared question framework.

The test uses the classic 12Axes framework. Its 288 statements cover twelve axes, with 24 statements per axis. The question text is distributed under the MIT license.

36 questions

Quick

Our quick adaptation selects three statements per axis for a short overview.

60 questions

Standard

The classic short selection uses five statements per axis.

288 questions

Full

Work through every statement in the classic question bank.

Selection and version details

Scoring model: classic-v1. Each axis has eight original groups of three statements, indexed 0–7. Standard samples one item from groups 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7. Quick samples groups 2, 3 and 5. Each axis randomly uses that pattern or its mirror (8 minus each group index), then the complete selection is shuffled. Full shuffles all 288 statements. A saved draft retains its exact selection.

Source: classic framework repository. Edition choice changes the selection and scale; every result records its edition.

From an answer to an axis.

  1. Give the answer a weight.

    Strongly agree: +2; agree: +1; somewhat agree: +0.5; neutral / unsure: 0; somewhat disagree: −0.5; disagree: −1; strongly disagree: −2.

  2. Apply the statement’s direction.

    Agreement adds toward the first pole for source groups 0–3 and toward the second for groups 4–7. Add the signed values for that axis.

  3. Place the sum on the report scale.

    The formula below gives the first pole’s score. The second is 100 minus that score. Values are rounded to one decimal place.

Scoring formulas by edition
EditionFirst-pole scoreRange
Quick50 + (25 ÷ 3) × signed sum0–100
Standard50 + 5 × signed sum0–100
Full50 + signed sum2–98

Worked example · Standard

One strong answer. Four neutral.

A strongly agreeing answer toward Federal contributes +2. Four neutral answers contribute 0. The total is +2: 50 + 5 × 2 = 60% Federal, with 40% Unitary.

A score locates your responses on this scale. Your report also counts non-neutral answers: 50/50 can come from mixed views or from neutral answers. Read the meanings of all twelve pairs →

Find connections in the sources.

The comparison directory connects your scores to themes in political writing, speeches and constitutional texts. Each entry specifies its source and period, then identifies the supported direction on selected axes.

Ideas & historical figures

Compare a particular formulation or written work. The named text sets the scope of the profile.

Countries

Compare constitutional principles such as federalism, representation and civil liberties. Country profiles describe the cited institutional framework.

How the comparison order is calculated
  1. A documented first-pole direction uses the band 60–100; a second-pole direction uses 0–40.
  2. We compare themes with at least one non-neutral answer in your report. An entry needs at least three compared themes and at least two-thirds of its documented themes.
  3. For each theme, measure the distance from your score to the nearest point in its band. Inside the band, the distance is zero. Average those distances.
  4. Smaller average distances appear first. Ties use the number of compared themes, then alphabetical order. Equal distances are labeled.

“Close themes” means an average distance of up to 5 points; “Some common ground” is up to 20; larger distances are “Contrasting themes.” These bands and labels are our editorial comparison rules. Each expanded result shows the underlying values, coverage and source.

Comparison example

For three first-pole themes, scores of 70, 50 and 20 are 0, 10 and 40 points from the 60–100 band. Their average distance is 16.7 points: “Some common ground.”

The directory is versioned separately from your twelve scores. This edition is themes-2026-10-03. Entries cover documented themes; the complete profile below shows every theme used.

15 profiles · primary sources

Explore the source directory.

Open a profile to read its interpretation and follow the original texts.

Political traditions

Explore source-based strands of political thought.

Classical liberalism4 documented themes

Liberty-centered strand · Mill, 1859

Personal freedom, individual development and room for private initiative.

Marxist communism4 documented themes

Manifesto program · 1848

Collective economic ownership and international class solidarity.

Anarchist communism4 documented themes

Kropotkin’s formulation · 1892

Common resources, local autonomy and voluntary cooperation.

Sovereign absolutism3 documented themes

Hobbesian formulation · 1651

Concentrated sovereign power organized around security and civil peace.

  • Government: Unitary

    Undivided authority holds the commonwealth together.

    T. Hobbes — Leviathan (1651) ↗Chapters XVII–XIX: sovereignty, protection and representation
  • Representation: Autocratic

    Sovereignty carries extensive power beyond routine popular control.

    T. Hobbes — Leviathan (1651) ↗Chapters XVII–XIX: sovereignty, protection and representation
  • Civil liberties: Security

    Protection and public peace justify strong authority.

    T. Hobbes — Leviathan (1651) ↗Chapters XVII–XIX: sovereignty, protection and representation
Market libertarianism4 documented themes

US Libertarian platform strand

Civil liberty, private property and voluntary exchange.

Social democracy4 documented themes

Hamburg Programme strand · 2007

Democratic institutions, civil rights and shared economic security.

  • Representation: Democratic

    Democratic institutions and participation.

    SPD — Hamburg Programme (2007) ↗English edition, core values and international cooperation, pp. 8–13
  • World outlook: Internationalist

    International cooperation and stronger common institutions.

    SPD — Hamburg Programme (2007) ↗English edition, core values and international cooperation, pp. 8–13
  • Civil liberties: Freedom

    Civil rights set boundaries for state power.

    SPD — Hamburg Programme (2007) ↗English edition, core values and international cooperation, pp. 8–13
  • Distribution: Equality

    Social security and a more equal distribution of resources.

    SPD — Hamburg Programme (2007) ↗English edition, core values and international cooperation, pp. 8–13

Ideas in historical writing

Compare the themes in a specified work or speech.

John Stuart Mill4 documented themes

On Liberty · 1859

Explore the themes of freedom, individuality and economic initiative in this essay.

Karl Marx4 documented themes

Manifesto, co-authored with Engels · 1848

Compare the economic and international themes of the Manifesto.

Peter Kropotkin4 documented themes

The Conquest of Bread · 1892

Compare common provision and voluntary social organization in this work.

Thomas Hobbes3 documented themes

Leviathan · 1651

Explore the relationship between sovereign power, order and protection.

  • Government: Unitary

    Undivided authority holds the commonwealth together.

    T. Hobbes — Leviathan (1651) ↗Chapters XVII–XIX: sovereignty, protection and representation
  • Representation: Autocratic

    Sovereignty carries extensive power beyond routine popular control.

    T. Hobbes — Leviathan (1651) ↗Chapters XVII–XIX: sovereignty, protection and representation
  • Civil liberties: Security

    Protection and public peace justify strong authority.

    T. Hobbes — Leviathan (1651) ↗Chapters XVII–XIX: sovereignty, protection and representation
James Madison3 documented themes

Federalist Nos. 39 and 51 · 1788

A constitutional design combining divided powers and republican accountability.

Franklin D. Roosevelt4 documented themes

Four Freedoms address · 1941

Civil liberties and economic security within an international democratic vision.

Constitutional parallels

Compare institutional principles in constitutional texts.

United States4 documented themes

Constitutional framework · Constitution and Bill of Rights

Federal authority, representative institutions and enumerated liberties.

Germany5 documented themes

Basic Law · English text amended through March 2025

Federal democracy, individual rights and the social-state principle.

France4 documented themes

Fifth Republic · Élysée constitutional text

A secular, representative republic with an indivisible constitutional structure.

A source or interpretation to improve?

Send the profile name, source and proposed correction to [email protected].

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