It is a pretty critical thing actually.... because if you miss selecting it, your pragmatic ideology progress will stall very badly.
So it is always going to be the second pragmatic choice i make, second after the one that gives the three free constructors.
Oh yea, and missionary center is usually my first choice in the good ideology for the same reason.... yea free colony ships and planets always try to tempt me, but i know what i have to have, and that is the missionary center.