What Is Centrism?
Centrism is the range of political ideologies that exist between left-wing politics and right-wing politics on the left–right political spectrum. Part of the Centrist family.
Definition
Centrism is the range of political ideologies that exist between left-wing politics and right-wing politics on the left–right political spectrum.
Definition quoted from Wikipedia: Centrism (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; checked October 20, 2026).
Core ideas
- Moderation and compromise.
- Pragmatism over ideology.
- Balance between market and state.
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Centrism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 52 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 48 | near the center | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 38 | near the center | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 50 | near the center | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 45 | near the center |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 53 | near the center |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 46 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 50 | near the center |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 50 | near the center |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 30 | toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 47 | near the center |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 50 | near the center |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 45 | near the center |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 44 | near the center |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Preserving a historic national majority is a legitimate immigration objective. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| International institutions should have more authority over national governments. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Radical Centrism, Centrism sits 14 points further toward traditional on the social dimension.
- Compared with Social Market Economy, Centrism sits 13 points further toward authoritarian on the authority dimension.
- Compared with Third Way, Centrism sits 15 points further toward traditional on the social dimension.
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Centrism.
Sources
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.