The Irreligious vs Religious axis asks what role religion should play in public life: separate from the state, or woven into law, education and politics.
Religion should be kept out of law and government, which should rest on reason and secular principles.
Religion should shape law, education and public life, as a source of moral authority.
The question this axis asks: Should law and government be secular, or should they reflect religious teaching?
Laws should be based on reason and evidence, not on religious teachings.
Nothing is sent anywhere.
The question this axis asks
Should law and government be secular, or should they reflect religious teaching?
This axis is about the relationship between religion and the state: religious law, religion in schools, blasphemy rules, state religions and the political influence of religious leaders. It does not measure personal belief. A devout person can favor a secular state, and a non-believer can favor tradition in public life.
People on the Irreligious side usually argue that a secular state treats all citizens equally and protects freedom of conscience. People on the Religious side usually argue that religion is the basis of morality and community and that law should reflect it.
Neither side is better or worse. They are different answers to the same question.
Religion should be kept out of law and government, which should rest on reason and secular principles.
Typical positions
Religion should shape law, education and public life, as a source of moral authority.
Typical positions
Scores run from 0% to 100% toward Religious. Here is how to read them.
| Score | What it suggests |
|---|---|
| 0–15% | Very strongly Irreligious |
| 16–30% | Strongly Irreligious |
| 31–43% | Leaning Irreligious |
| 44–56% | Near the middle |
| 57–69% | Leaning Religious |
| 70–84% | Strongly Religious |
| 85–100% | Very strongly Religious |
A middle score suggests you value religious freedom and heritage but do not want religion to dictate law.
France and Mexico have long traditions of strict secularism, the United States separates church and state yet is highly religious, the United Kingdom and Denmark have established churches, and Iran and Saudi Arabia ground their legal systems in Islamic law. Estimated profiles of countries and ideologies at each end of this axis.
North Korea94% toward Irreligious
China92% toward Irreligious
Czechia88% toward Irreligious
Estonia88% toward Irreligious
Sweden86% toward Irreligious
Afghanistan99% toward Religious
Saudi Arabia98% toward Religious
Iran98% toward Religious
Brunei92% toward Religious
Pakistan92% toward ReligiousThese are editorial estimates for discussion, not rankings of quality.
Words you may meet in the test statements about this axis.
Sharia is the body of religious law and ethical guidance in Islam, drawn from the Quran, the example of the Prophet Muhammad and scholarly interpretation. How it is applied in state law varies widely between countries.
Read the explanationA theocracy is a system of government in which religious leaders or religious law hold ultimate authority, and the state is seen as serving a divine order.
Read the explanationSomething else on your mind? Get in touch
Three statements show one axis. The full test scores every axis and finds your closest countries and ideologies.