Milton Friedman
Historical and international
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Position estimated from: Capitalism and Freedom: monetarism, free trade, deregulation.
Political compass placement
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 94 | strongly toward market | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 36 | near the center | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 22 | toward libertarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 29 | toward cosmopolitan | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 35 | near the center |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 97 | strongly toward private ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 29 | toward civil liberty |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 29 | toward cosmopolitan |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 40 | near the center |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 15 | toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 65 | near the center |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 11 | strongly toward free market |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 35 | near the center |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 25 | toward secular state |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the available evidence through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Key positions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
| Religious doctrine should take precedence over civil law when they conflict. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
| Preserving a historic national majority is a legitimate immigration objective. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Workers should have strong legal protections to form and join labor unions. | Strongly disagrees | from their record |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
| Strict term limits should apply to the head of government. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
Closest ideologies
Economic Liberalism94% similar positionClassical Liberalism93% similar positionRight-Libertarianism91% similar positionNeoliberalism90% similar positionMinarchism89% similar position
Similar and contrasting figures
Friedrich Hayek94% similar · Historical and internationalRobert Nozick92% similar · Historical and internationalJohn Locke90% similar · Historical and internationalAyn Rand88% similar · Historical and internationalThomas Jefferson87% similar · US politiciansKim Jong UnContrasting: 34% similarPol PotContrasting: 37% similarJoseph StalinContrasting: 38% similar
Sources
Profile last reviewed October 11, 2026.