Social conservatism

The Guardian of the Family

«Family, faith and work: everything else comes after.»

Holds that family, faith and nation are the pillars of society and that the state should protect them, including through generous social spending. It pairs support for families and workers with traditional values, controlled borders and national defense.

In short

On the traditional scale, this ideology sits in the center-right camp. The clearest positions are on immigration: strongly towards “control”; economy: fairly towards “equality”; society: fairly towards “tradition”; religion: fairly towards “religion”. On technology it stays balanced. Among the other ideologies, the closest is postliberalism (93%).

Principles

The family is the basic cell of society
The welfare state must serve the national community
Christian faith is part of the nation's identity

A generous welfare state serving the family and the national community, alongside traditional values.

Common criticisms

Rights left outSame-sex couples and non-traditional families are left without protection and recognition.

High spendingGenerous family benefits weigh on public finances.

Faith and lawMixing religion and the state can discriminate against non-believers and people of other faiths.

Where it comes from

It is rooted in Catholic social teaching, starting with the encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891); today it is embodied by parties such as Poland's Law and Justice, with measures like the "500+" child benefit (2016).

Key figures: Jarosław Kaczyński, Viktor Orbán, Pope Leo XIII

Further reading: Rerum Novarum — Pope Leo XIII; The Outline of Sanity — G. K. Chesterton