Progress pill
Towards a new divide: freedom-coercion

The two fundamental dimensions

What's your Political Leaning?

The two fundamental dimensions

  • Economic freedoms
  • Personal and social freedoms
The diagram represents economic freedoms (tax levels, free market, private services) on the x-axis, and personal freedoms (freedom of movement, opinion, self-determination) on the y-axis.
This scheme is based on the idea that most political issues can be divided into two broad categories: economic and personal (or societal).

Economic freedoms

The Economic Freedom category includes what you do as a producer and consumer - what you can buy, sell or produce. Where you work, who you hire or what you do with your money.
Examples of economic activity: starting a business; buying a house; constructing a building; shopping; working in an office.
  • To the right of the axis (toward 100 on the Economic Issues scale): preference for economic freedom. This means less state intervention in the economy, fewer regulations, lower taxes, and greater freedom for companies and individuals to produce, trade and consume. The emphasis is on the free market, private property and competition as the engines of prosperity.
  • Emblematic figures: Margaret Thatcher (UK), Ronald Reagan (USA), Javier Milei (Argentina).
  • To the left of the axis (toward 0 on the Economic Issues scale): preference for strong state intervention in the economy. This implies regulation, high taxes to finance public services (health, education, transport), nationalization and redistribution of wealth. The aim is often to reduce inequalities and guarantee a degree of social justice.
    • Emblematic figures: Franklin D. Roosevelt (USA), Jean Jaurès (France), Bernie Sanders, Barack Obama.

Personal and social freedoms

The Personal Freedom category includes what you do in your private relationships, with your opinions and beliefs. In general, it's everything you do with your own body and mind.
Examples of personal activities: marriage; choosing the books you read and the movies you watch; the foods, medicines and drugs you choose to consume; sports; your religious choices; the organizations you join; the people you choose to associate with.
  • Top of the axis (toward 100 on the Social Issues scale): preference for individual freedom and tolerance. The state should interfere as little as possible in the life choices of individuals (abortion rights, LGBTQ+ rights, freedom of expression, legalization of certain substances, etc.). We value autonomy and diversity.
    • Emblematic figures: Nelson Mandela, Simone Veil, Noam Chomsky.
  • At the bottom of the axis (toward 0 on the Social Issues scale): preference for order, security and traditional values. The State has a role to play in regulating morals, maintaining public order, and sometimes defending a certain vision of morality or tradition, including through violence. These include positions in favor of the death penalty, restrictions on immigration, or government-led promotion of the traditional family.
    • Emblematic figures: Joseph de Maistre (French counter-revolutionary philosopher) - for his ideas on divine order and authority. Contemporary authoritarian leaders such as Vladimir Putin in Russia and Xi Jinping in China.
Quiz
Quiz1/5
What does the right side of the economic axis (towards 100) represent in the two-dimensional political diagram?