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12 Axes Test

Assimilationist vs Multiculturalist

The Assimilationist vs Multiculturalist axis asks how a society should handle cultural difference: by blending newcomers into a common culture, or by supporting many cultures side by side.

Diplomatic domain0% Assimilationist ⟷ 100% Multiculturalist
Assimilationist

Newcomers and minorities should adopt the dominant national culture, language and customs.

vs
Multiculturalist

Different cultures should be able to keep their own identities and traditions side by side within one society.

0% (Assimilationist)50% Neutral100% (Multiculturalist)

The question this axis asks: Should people be expected to adopt the common culture, or should a society welcome and support different cultures?

Compare both sidesReal-world examples

Where do you stand?

Statement 1 of 3

Immigrants should adopt the language and customs of their new country.

Nothing is sent anywhere.

What is Assimilationist vs Multiculturalist?

The question this axis asks

Should people be expected to adopt the common culture, or should a society welcome and support different cultures?

This axis is about integration, language, shared national culture and the place of minority traditions. It does not ask how many people should immigrate, which is a separate policy question, but what a society should expect from, and offer to, those who live in it.

People on the Assimilationist side usually argue that a shared culture and language create trust and equal opportunity. People on the Multiculturalist side usually argue that diversity enriches a society and that people should not have to give up their heritage to belong.

What does each side believe?

Neither side is better or worse. They are different answers to the same question.

What does Assimilationist mean?

Newcomers and minorities should adopt the dominant national culture, language and customs.

Typical positions

  • Immigrants should adopt the language and customs of their new country
  • A shared national culture builds trust
  • Schools should teach a common national story
  • Minorities do best by blending in over time

What does Multiculturalist mean?

Different cultures should be able to keep their own identities and traditions side by side within one society.

Typical positions

  • Cultures should keep their traditions and languages
  • The state should support minority languages and culture
  • People should not have to give up their identity to be accepted
  • Diversity is a strength

What does your Assimilationist vs Multiculturalist score mean?

Scores run from 0% to 100% toward Multiculturalist. Here is how to read them.

ScoreWhat it suggests
0–15%Very strongly Assimilationist
16–30%Strongly Assimilationist
31–43%Leaning Assimilationist
44–56%Near the middle
57–69%Leaning Multiculturalist
70–84%Strongly Multiculturalist
85–100%Very strongly Multiculturalist

A middle score usually means you want a shared civic framework, such as a common language and laws, with room for different traditions.

How does Assimilationist vs Multiculturalist play out in the real world?

France’s republican model stresses a single civic identity, while Canada and Australia have official multicultural policies. Many countries sit between the two, for example by requiring language tests while also funding minority education. Estimated profiles of countries and ideologies at each end of this axis.

Countries leaning Assimilationist

  1. 1North Korea95% toward Assimilationist
  2. 2Saudi Arabia92% toward Assimilationist
  3. 3Afghanistan92% toward Assimilationist
  4. 4Hungary88% toward Assimilationist
  5. 5Japan85% toward Assimilationist

Ideologies leaning Assimilationist

  1. 1Fascism97% toward Assimilationist
  2. 2Paleoconservatism85% toward Assimilationist
  3. 3Theocracy85% toward Assimilationist
  4. 4National Conservatism82% toward Assimilationist

Countries leaning Multiculturalist

  1. 1Canada88% toward Multiculturalist
  2. 2New Zealand80% toward Multiculturalist
  3. 3South Africa78% toward Multiculturalist
  4. 4Australia78% toward Multiculturalist
  5. 5Singapore72% toward Multiculturalist

Ideologies leaning Multiculturalist

  1. 1Cosmopolitanism90% toward Multiculturalist
  2. 2Anarcho-Communism85% toward Multiculturalist
  3. 3Anarcho-Syndicalism80% toward Multiculturalist
  4. 4Social Liberalism78% toward Multiculturalist

These are editorial estimates for discussion, not rankings of quality.

What do people get wrong about Assimilationist vs Multiculturalist?

  • This axis is about culture. It is not about race, and it is not about whether immigration should be higher or lower.
  • Assimilation and multiculturalism are the ends of a spectrum, and most real policies combine both.

Frequently asked questions about Assimilationist vs Multiculturalist

Assimilation means minorities and newcomers adopt the majority culture over time. Multiculturalism means different cultures keep their identities and coexist, with the state recognizing and often supporting them.

A middle path in which people take part fully in a society’s institutions and learn its language while keeping some of their own culture.

The melting pot image, often used for the United States, suggests that cultures blend into a new common one. Critics prefer images like a salad bowl to stress that distinct cultures remain.

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