Social Democracy
Keep capitalism. Put it on a leash.
Social democrats are fine with markets and private businesses, as long as everyone gets a fair cut. Think strong unions, public healthcare, free university, generous parental leave, paid for by taxes that rise with income. It's the model the Nordic countries made famous.
What they'd say
Nobody should go broke because they got sick.
Unions are why you have weekends.
Higher taxes are fine if the services are this good.
Its 12-axis profile
Where it gets messy
Free-marketeers say high taxes slow everything down. The further left says it only softens capitalism and never touches ownership.
Names to know
- Eduard Bernstein
- Olof Palme
- Clement Attlee
- Willy Brandt
Its squad
Countries that think like this
These countries and regimes have Social Democracy as their closest match out of all 46 types.
Slovenia90%
Spain88%
Portugal88%
Colombia87%
Ireland86%
Taiwan86%
Netherlands85%
Iceland84%1919–1933Weimar Republic84%
Belgium83%Is Social Democracy your type?
Answer 60 quick questions and find out which of the 46 types you really are, plus the country that thinks most like you.
How this works: every ideology sits at a typical spot on the 12 axes, set by us, not copied from anywhere. Match percentages are 100 minus the average gap across all 12 axes. Countries are listed when this is the type closest to their own 12-axis profile.