The Progressive vs Traditional axis asks how fast and how far society should change its norms: reform them to match new ideas of equality and freedom, or preserve inherited ways of life.
Society should keep changing and reforming, questioning old customs and extending rights and equality.
Established customs, institutions and values deserve to be preserved, and change should be slow and careful.
The question this axis asks: Should society move on from old customs, or protect them?
Society should move on from old customs, even when many people are attached to them.
Nothing is sent anywhere.
The question this axis asks
Should society move on from old customs, or protect them?
This axis covers social and cultural issues: family and gender roles, marriage laws, ideas of equality and anti-discrimination policy, the weight given to long-standing customs and the pace of social change. It asks about attitudes toward change rather than any single policy.
People on the Progressive side usually argue that many customs are unfair and that societies improve by reforming them, guided by reason and evidence. People on the Traditional side usually argue that customs hold accumulated wisdom, provide stability and belonging, and that rapid change can do harm.
Neither side is better or worse. They are different answers to the same question.
Society should keep changing and reforming, questioning old customs and extending rights and equality.
Typical positions
Established customs, institutions and values deserve to be preserved, and change should be slow and careful.
Typical positions
Scores run from 0% to 100% toward Traditional. Here is how to read them.
| Score | What it suggests |
|---|---|
| 0–15% | Very strongly Progressive |
| 16–30% | Strongly Progressive |
| 31–43% | Leaning Progressive |
| 44–56% | Near the middle |
| 57–69% | Leaning Traditional |
| 70–84% | Strongly Traditional |
| 85–100% | Very strongly Traditional |
A middle score suggests you support change on some issues and caution on others.
Surveys of values often place countries such as the Netherlands and Sweden among the most socially progressive and countries such as Nigeria and Pakistan among the most traditional. Within countries, attitudes often differ by age, region and religion. Estimated profiles of countries and ideologies at each end of this axis.
Iceland88% toward Progressive
Sweden86% toward Progressive
Denmark84% toward Progressive
Norway84% toward Progressive
Netherlands82% toward Progressive
Afghanistan98% toward Traditional
Iran92% toward Traditional
Saudi Arabia90% toward Traditional
Uganda90% toward Traditional
Brunei90% toward TraditionalThese are editorial estimates for discussion, not rankings of quality.
Words you may meet in the test statements about this axis.
The Enlightenment was a European intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries that stressed reason, science, individual rights and skepticism of traditional authority.
Read the explanationAffirmative action refers to policies that give weight to a person’s membership in an under-represented or historically disadvantaged group in areas such as education and employment, to widen access and correct past discrimination.
Read the explanationA social construct is an idea or category that exists because people in a society have agreed to treat it as real, rather than because of an objective fact of nature.
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.