Methodology

Scoring

Every statement is answered on a five-point scale, mapped to −2 … +2. Each statement belongs to exactly one axis and carries a weight and a direction. An axis score is the weighted sum of its statements divided by the maximum achievable magnitude, then rescaled to −10 … +10. Neutral answers contribute nothing, so skipping is never a hidden vote.

The community cloud

The faint points behind your marker are other respondents' positions, sampled and rendered as a density field. Your alignment percentage counts respondents inside a fixed radius around your own coordinates. Filtering by country, education, gender or religion recalculates both the cloud and the percentage against that slice only.

Per-statement agreement

For each statement we report the share of respondents who landed on the same side of neutral as you. Aggregates below a minimum sample size are suppressed rather than shown as noise.

Limits

Respondents are self-selected, not a representative sample, and the current-affairs compasses describe fast-moving situations with axes chosen by editors. Two dimensions will always flatten something. Read the position as an argument, not a measurement.

Common questions

How long does the Classic Political Compass take?

About six to eight minutes. It is 40 statements, each answered on a 5-point scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree.

What do the two axes mean?

The horizontal axis runs from economic left to economic right; the vertical axis runs from libertarian to authoritarian on social questions. Both are scored from -10 to +10.

Is it free, and do I need an account?

It is free and there is no account. A single anonymous session key keeps your answers attached to your own result.

How is the community comparison built?

Your coordinate is compared against every stored response for the same test, then filtered on request by country, gender, education or religion. Only aggregates are ever returned — never another person's answers.

How long does a shared result link last?

Seven days, after which it expires automatically. Links can also be password protected, and are excluded from search engines.

Can I have my data deleted?

Yes. Use the data request page with your session key and everything stored against it is erased within 30 days.