How do you locate the centre? I understand from the description how to say one belief is to the left of another, but not how you arrive at an absolute position such that we can say almost all countries are left of centre.
Notably, when the test site uses platform details to complete the test on behalf of political candidates/parties, the results mostly wind up right of centre.
https://www.politicalcompass.org/uselection2020
https://www.politicalcompass.org/canada2019
That's roughly how I'd go about it - maybe we need a more precise way to say when two principles are equally engaged?
Ignoring the vertical axis, I'd have put:
Canada, basically capitalist with some socialist policies: near right
USA, basically capitalist with fewer socialist policies: further right
China, basically communist with some capitalist aspects: near left
North Korea, pretty much entirely communist: all the way left.
The neutral point might be somewhere around India.
@khird By the way I dont find the political compass' opinion on where the various candidates would lye is even remotely valid. Sadly if we talk about candidates I dont think most people would be objective enough about them, or they themselves would be objective in describing their true intentions, for any sort of mapping to be remotely accurate.
When I look at how they map the candidates I find it way off compared to their track record and even a bit naive. Then again they arent Data Scientists, I am, so I probably have a better instinct for some data than your average person.
I think the uniaxial distribution in the US has led to a shift in terminology. Imagine the candidates' positions were rotated 45 degrees or so to lie mostly horizontally. Now their relative positions probably line up better with common use of the terms "left" and "right".
A true pure libertarian (ACLU?), is now left- libertarian.
The Libertarian Party, shown pure right, is now right-libertarian (& the overall most libertarian).
The Green Party, shown left-libertarian, is now pure left.
@khird The center is easy, the center is neutrality between the two points. So take Left-right, which is communism vs capitalism axis.. someone who beleives both principles should be engaged equally or is otherwise indifferent on the issue most of the time would be in the middle.