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Economy axis

Equality vs Markets

Is the bigger problem inequality, or too little economic freedom?

This is the classic economic left and right: who should own things and how evenly the results should be shared. It is one of the four axes behind your ideology match, so it has a large effect on which ideology comes out on top.

Equality

Wealth should be shared more evenly. Public services, universal healthcare and limits on inherited advantage matter more than profit.

Statements that score Equality

  • “Communism, if implemented correctly, would be a good form of economics.”
  • “I support single-payer, universal healthcare.”
  • “The wealthy have far more than they need.”

Markets

Private property and competition create prosperity. People should keep what they earn, and inequality is the price of a working economy.

Statements that score Markets

  • “The government should not regulate the economy at all.”
  • “It is better to maintain a balanced budget than to ensure welfare for all citizens.”
  • “People should have the right to leave their wealth to their descendants.”

In practice

Where it shows up

It is the axis behind debates on taxing the rich, public versus private healthcare and pensions, nationalising or privatising companies, minimum wages, unions and how much of the economy the state should own.

A common misunderstanding

Favouring markets does not mean opposing every welfare programme, and favouring equality does not mean abolishing private property. Most people sit in between, and the labels on this axis, from Communist to Extreme Capitalist, only describe the edges.

Reading your score

This axis carries a lot of weight in your ideology match. Between 40% and 60% you are close to a mixed economy; around 70% Equality reads as social democratic; above 75% Markets reads as economically liberal.

Historical figures at each end

Where the thinkers and leaders in our figure set stand on this axis.

Result labels

Your score is the percentage toward Equality. The label shown on your result depends on which band it falls in.

  1. 91-100%Communist
  2. 76-90%Socialist
  3. 61-75%Social Democratic
  4. 40-60%Mixed Economic
  5. 25-39%Economic Liberal
  6. 10-24%Capitalist
  7. 0-9%Extreme Capitalist

Where do you land on economy?

Take the test to see your score on this axis and the other eleven.

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