8values vs 12Axes
The two quizzes share a statement-and-agreement format, but they do not measure the same dimensions. Here is a direct comparison without pretending one is universally better.
8values Test: Questions, Axes and Results
8values is one of the best-known political quizzes built around several separate values. This independent guide explains its mechanics before you compare it with a twelve-axis profile.
Short answer: The original 8values quiz contains 70 statements and scores eight values across four axes: Equality versus Markets, Nation versus Globe, Liberty versus Authority, and Tradition versus Progress. Each value is shown as a percentage of its maximum possible score.
What 8values measures
The original 8values project describes itself as a political quiz that assigns percentages to eight political values. Those values are arranged as four axes. The economic axis runs from Equality to Markets, the diplomatic axis from Nation to Globe, the civil axis from Liberty to Authority, and the societal axis from Tradition to Progress.
That structure makes the test more informative than a single left-right score, while keeping the result compact enough to read at a glance. A person can, for example, lean toward markets on the economic axis and toward liberty on the civil axis; the quiz treats those as separate readings rather than assuming one implies the other.
How the 70 statements are scored
The public 8values question bank contains 70 statements. You respond on a five-point agreement scale, from strongly disagree through neutral to strongly agree. Each response moves one or more of the underlying value scores; the project describes each answer as slightly affecting the scores, with the final value compared to its maximum possible total.
This produces eight percentages rather than a single pass-or-fail verdict. The result depends on which values each statement touches, the strength of each answer, and the project's calculation. The original project makes its question file available, which is useful if you want to inspect the model instead of treating the output as a black box.
Reading the eight percentages
Read each pair together. A high Equality percentage means more than a low Markets percentage only in the sense that the two poles sit at opposite ends of the same axis; the useful question is which side your answers consistently supported. A percentage near the middle is not an error. It can mean the statement mix pulled in both directions or that you chose neutral answers.
- Economic axis: Equality versus Markets.
- Diplomatic axis: Nation versus Globe.
- Civil axis: Liberty versus Authority.
- Societal axis: Tradition versus Progress.
What the closest-match ideology means
8values also offers a closest ideological match. The project itself describes this feature as a work in progress and says it is much less accurate than the values and axes. That warning is worth taking seriously: a label can be a useful prompt for reading further, but it is not a summary of every position in the eight-value profile.
If the label feels wrong, compare the eight percentages before rejecting the whole result. The mismatch may be caused by one axis, by a family of ideologies that shares a name but not a programme, or by the coarse granularity of an eight-value model.
Where an eight-value model stops
The model compresses several distinct questions into broad axes. Religion and culture share a societal axis; sovereignty and military posture share a diplomatic axis; welfare and ownership share an economic axis. That is a reasonable design for a short quiz, but it means some disagreements disappear inside a percentage.
12Axes addresses that limitation differently rather than claiming to correct it. It keeps power, democracy, economy, welfare, sovereignty, force, culture, religion, ecology, technology, structure and rights separate. You can read the twelve axis definitions and decide which model answers the question you actually have.
Sources and attribution
- 8values project homepage — the project's own description of its eight values and four axes.
- 8values public question bank — the source used to confirm the 70-statement count.
- 8values source repository — public code and project materials.
This page is an independent explanation, not an endorsement or an official 8values page. Third-party projects can change; check the source links before relying on a detail.
Put the guide into practice
The explanation above is easier to judge against your own answers than against an abstract example. Choose a run length and see which political values move for you.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in the 8values test?＋
The public 8values question file contains 70 statements. Forks or modified versions may use a different bank, so the count applies to the original project rather than every quiz that borrows its name.
What are the eight 8values values?＋
Equality and Markets, Nation and Globe, Liberty and Authority, and Tradition and Progress. They form four axes: economic, diplomatic, civil and societal.
Are 8values results percentages of the maximum score?＋
Yes. The project describes each value as a percentage after comparing the accumulated answers with the maximum possible for that value. The result is relative to the question bank, not an absolute measure of a person's politics.
How reliable is the 8values closest match?＋
The project calls the closest-match feature a work in progress and less accurate than the values and axes. Treat it as a pointer to related reading, not as a definitive ideological classification.
Is 8values the same test as 12Axes?＋
No. They are separate projects with different axes, question banks and scoring models. The similar quiz format does not make their results interchangeable or directly convertible.
Read a related guide
The 9Axes test
9Axes is an 8values-derived quiz that separates nine political dimensions. This guide explains its two lengths, its axis names and the limits of its percentage output.
Tests like 8values
The right alternative to 8values depends on whether you want a compact value map, more political dimensions, or a familiar two-axis chart. Here are the meaningful differences.
The 12Axes test
The 12Axes test turns political statements into twelve separate readings rather than one left-versus-right score. This guide explains what happens before, during, and after a run.
Or return to the 12Axes homepage for the product overview, report pricing and main FAQ.
Your political values are one run away
The test is free, needs no account, and scores your answers in this browser. Start with the recommended run, or take the longest one when two ideologies sit close together.