The Security vs Freedom axis asks how to balance public safety against individual liberty: whether to give the state more power to protect people, or to protect people from the state.
The state should have wide powers to protect public safety and order, even at some cost to privacy and personal liberty.
Individual rights such as free speech, privacy and personal choice should come first, even if that carries some risk.
The question this axis asks: When safety and liberty conflict, which should win?
Authorities should be able to monitor private communications if it helps prevent crime or terrorism.
Nothing is sent anywhere.
The question this axis asks
When safety and liberty conflict, which should win?
This axis is about civil liberties: surveillance, policing, free speech, punishment and the freedom to make personal choices. It does not ask whether you care about safety or liberty, since most people care about both, but which you would give up more of when they clash.
People on the Security side tend to accept monitoring, stronger police powers and limits on dangerous speech in return for order. People on the Freedom side tend to accept more risk to protect privacy, speech and personal autonomy, and to see state power as the main danger.
Neither side is better or worse. They are different answers to the same question.
The state should have wide powers to protect public safety and order, even at some cost to privacy and personal liberty.
Typical positions
Individual rights such as free speech, privacy and personal choice should come first, even if that carries some risk.
Typical positions
Scores run from 0% to 100% toward Freedom. Here is how to read them.
| Score | What it suggests |
|---|---|
| 0–15% | Very strongly Security |
| 16–30% | Strongly Security |
| 31–43% | Leaning Security |
| 44–56% | Near the middle |
| 57–69% | Leaning Freedom |
| 70–84% | Strongly Freedom |
| 85–100% | Very strongly Freedom |
A middle score usually means you accept some limits on liberty for the sake of safety but want strong legal safeguards.
Debates about surveillance laws, hate-speech rules, stop-and-search powers, emergency measures and drug policy all sit on this axis. Countries differ widely, for example in how far speech is protected and how much data governments can collect. Estimated profiles of countries and ideologies at each end of this axis.
North Korea99% toward Security
Eritrea98% toward Security
Afghanistan97% toward Security
Turkmenistan96% toward Security
Cuba95% toward Security
Norway90% toward Freedom
Denmark88% toward Freedom
Sweden88% toward Freedom
Iceland88% toward Freedom
Finland86% toward FreedomThese are editorial estimates for discussion, not rankings of quality.
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Three statements show one axis. The full test scores every axis and finds your closest countries and ideologies.