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The Public Mind

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    Chapter 8.1

    Basic values and left-right

    People who rate universalism higher place themselves further left in all 18 Western European countries (mean correlation −0.19), but by the 95% interval values sit on their predicted sides of left-right in 4 of 18 post-communist countries and on the opposite sides in 4.

    Affiliation
    NYU Stern
    Published
    DraftFigures and numbers may change as the analysis is rebuilt.what is still being checked

    Still open: party-position data to test the account of left-wing government incentives in post-communist Europe, a test of whether the value scale means the same in every country, and a check of WVS wave 7.

    In the European Social Survey (ESS), people who rate universalism as more important place themselves further left on the left-right scale in every one of the 1818 countriesEstimandcount of countries in the group, fixed by geography and historyWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey countries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe (Western Europe below), and in each the 95% confidence intervalConfidence intervalA range around an estimate that would contain the true value in 95% of repeated samples if the sampling model held. The book reports 95% intervals unless it says otherwise. of the correlation lies below zero. The average correlationCorrelationA number from minus 1 to plus 1 for how closely two measures move together in a straight-line pattern. Zero means no straight-line pattern; a correlation does not say that one measure causes the other. across these countries is −0.19 (95% CI −0.22 to −0.16)−0.19 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with value Universalism (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI −0.22 to −0.16WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey. Conformity and tradition run the other way, at +0.11+0.11 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with value Conformity (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 0.09 to 0.13WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey and +0.10+0.10 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with value Tradition (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 0.08 to 0.12WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey. The correlations are small, and they are uneven outside Western Europe.

    Theory, measures and country groups

    Shalom Schwartz's theory arranges ten basic valuesSchwartz basic valuesTen broad motivations, such as security, tradition, achievement and universalism, that Shalom Schwartz's theory arranges in a circle. Neighboring values are compatible and opposite values conflict. in a circle in which neighboring values are compatible and opposite values conflict [1]. Conformity, tradition and security (conservation) face self-direction and stimulation (openness to change), and universalism and benevolence (self-transcendence) face power and achievement (self-enhancement). Hedonism sits between openness and self-enhancement. Applied to politics, the circle predicts that conservation and self-enhancement values go with the right and that openness and self-transcendence values go with the left. A study of Italian voters found that supporters of the center-left coalition rated universalism, benevolence and self-direction higher, and security, power, achievement, conformity and tradition lower, than supporters of the center-right [2]. A comparison of countries in the first round of the ESS found universalism and benevolence going with a left orientation and conformity and tradition with a right orientation in liberal and traditional countries [3].

    This chapter estimates every pattern with one estimator, counts the countries on the predicted side instead of relying on averages, shows the post-communist countries one by one, and repeats the analysis in the World Values Survey (WVS), which reaches countries outside Europe. The ESS measures the ten values with short portraits of a person, for example someone for whom thinking up new ideas and being creative is important, which respondents rate from very much like me to not like me at all. Each value score is centred on the respondent's own mean rating of all the portraits, which removes differences in how freely people use the top of the scale and leaves the priority of one value relative to the others [4]. The left-right question asks respondents to place themselves on a scale from left to right (left-right self-placementLeft-right self-placementA survey question that asks people to place themselves on a scale from left to right. The scale is the same for everyone, but the meaning attached to left and right differs across people, countries and years.). In each country the chapter takes the correlation between a value score and the placement, called a loadingLoadingThe correlation, inside one country, between a survey scale such as left-right self-placement and an attitude. A loading of zero means the attitude says nothing about where people place themselves, and a positive loading means people who hold it place themselves further right., and a positive loading means that people who rate the value as more important place themselves further right. Rounds from 2002 to 2024 are pooled inside each country, which gives 432,669432,669 respondentsEstimandcount of respondentsWeightsnone (count)PopulationESS respondents with a human-values score and a left-right answerPeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey respondents in 3939 countriesEstimandcount of countriesWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries in the ESS human-values samplePeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey countries.A loading is a survey-weighted correlation computed inside one country. Its interval is model based, from the Fisher z transformation [5] of the Kish effective sample sizeEffective sample sizeThe number of equally weighted respondents that would give the same precision as the weighted sample. It is smaller than the raw count when the weights vary a lot, and it sets how wide the confidence interval is. [6], and it treats the weightedSurvey weightsNumbers that scale each respondent so the sample matches the population on known traits such as age, race, education and region. A weighted average counts a respondent with a large weight for more than one with a small weight. sample as a simple random sample; intervals for averages across countries come from resampling countries [7].

    The countries are grouped by geography and history and not by anything in the data. The 1818 countriesEstimandcount of countries in the group, fixed by geography and historyWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey Western European countries are those outside the former communist bloc and include Greece, Portugal and Spain. Germany is one country in this group and includes the former East Germany. The 1818 countriesEstimandcount of countries in the group, fixed by historyWeightsnone (count)Populationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey post-communist countries had communist party rule in the twentieth century, and Cyprus, Israel and Turkey (33 countriesEstimandcount of countries in the groupWeightsnone (count)PopulationCyprus, Israel and Turkey (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey countries) belong to neither group.

    Universalism leans left and conformity right in Western Europe

    Figure 1 plots the mean loading of each value across the Western European countries. Universalism is at −0.19 (95% CI −0.22 to −0.16)−0.19 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with value Universalism (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI −0.22 to −0.16WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey and conformity at +0.11 (95% CI 0.09 to 0.13)+0.11 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with value Conformity (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 0.09 to 0.13WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey. Tradition, power and security lean right and benevolence, self-direction and stimulation lean left, each by less than universalism and with an interval that excludes zero. Achievement follows the theory least clearly, at +0.010 (95% CI 0.001 to 0.017)+0.010 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with value Achievement (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 0.001 to 0.017WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey, an interval that barely clears zero. Hedonism, to which the theory assigns no side, leans left at −0.02−0.02 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with value Hedonism (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI −0.04 to −0.01WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey.

    Figure 1

    Across Western Europe universalism leans left and conformity, tradition and power lean right

    Mean across countries of the correlation between each value's importance and left-right self-placement (0 = left, 10 = right), Western Europe, with 95% intervals from resampling countries

    • Above zero, outside the ring
    • Below zero, inside the ring
    • Bar length: Mean correlation with left-right
    Show data
    Data for Across Western Europe universalism leans left and conformity, tradition and power lean right
    ValueMean correlationInterval lowInterval highCountries in the meanPredicted sideCountries on the predicted sideCountries with the interval on the predicted side
    Conformity+0.11+0.09+0.1318Predicted to lean right1818
    Tradition+0.10+0.08+0.1218Predicted to lean right1817
    Security+0.07+0.04+0.1018Predicted to lean right1714
    Power+0.09+0.07+0.1118Predicted to lean right1817
    Achievement+0.010.00+0.0218Predicted to lean right128
    Hedonism−0.02−0.04−0.0118No predicted siden/an/a
    Stimulation−0.05−0.06−0.0318Predicted to lean left1613
    Self-direction−0.05−0.07−0.0318Predicted to lean left1614
    Universalism−0.19−0.22−0.1618Predicted to lean left1818
    Benevolence−0.07−0.08−0.0618Predicted to lean left1817
    Universalism has the largest correlation with left-right in Western Europe (−0.19) and conformity the largest positive one (+0.11). Bars pointing outward from the zero ring are values that people further right rate as more important, and bars pointing inward are values that people further left rate as more important. Each bar is the mean of the 18 country correlations and each whisker a 95% interval from resampling countries. Values sit on the ring in Schwartz's order, so neighbors are compatible motivations and opposite values conflict.Note: Each score is centred on the respondent's own mean rating of all 21 items, so the ten correlations cannot all lie on one side of zero.Note: Hedonism has no predicted side and is left out of the counts of countries on the predicted side.Note: Country cells need an effective sample of 300 respondents or more.Source: European Social Survey, rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024; weighted (analysis weight within each country, every country counted once across countries); Western Europe only

    The loadings are small. Squared, the universalism loading averages 4% (95% CI 3% to 5%)4% percent of the variance of left-right placementEstimandmean across countries of the squared within-country weighted correlation of left-right with universalism (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 3% to 5%WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey across Western countries, which is the share of the variance in left-right placement that the two answers have in common, and it is the largest of the ten values. Conformity and tradition are the values closest to the obedience and respect for custom that Chapter 8.4, The obedience-autonomy disposition measures with a child-rearing question, and security is the conservation value with the least consistent sign, which Chapter 8.5, Order, security and threat (planned) takes up with measures of threat.

    The averages hide little disagreement between countries. Figure 2 counts the countries on the predicted side. Conformity, tradition, power, universalism and benevolence are on the predicted side in all 1818 countriesEstimandcount of countries in the group, fixed by geography and historyWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey Western countries, and achievement, the lowest, in 1212 countriesEstimandcount of countries with the point estimate on the predicted side for AchievementWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey. Judged by the interval and not by the point estimate, universalism is on the predicted side in 1818 countriesEstimandcount of countries with the 95% interval on the predicted side for UniversalismWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey countries and conformity in 1818 countriesEstimandcount of countries with the 95% interval on the predicted side for ConformityWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey, and tradition, power and benevolence in 1717 countriesEstimandcount of countries with the 95% interval on the predicted side for TraditionWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey each. The figure also shows the post-communist countries, which the next section takes up.

    Figure 2

    Conformity, tradition, power, universalism and benevolence have the predicted sign in all 18 Western European countries, and only universalism does in as many as 15 of 18 post-communist countries

    Number of countries where the correlation between a value and left-right self-placement has the predicted sign, by value and country group; ESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024

    • Western Europe
    • Post-communist Europe
    Show data
    Data for Conformity, tradition, power, universalism and benevolence have the predicted sign in all 18 Western European countries, and only universalism does in as many as 15 of 18 post-communist countries
    countriesgroupmeasuren_countriesvalue
    18Western EuropeCorrelation has the predicted sign18Conformity
    18Western Europe95% interval on the predicted side18Conformity
    18Post-communist EuropeCorrelation has the predicted sign8Conformity
    18Post-communist Europe95% interval on the predicted side3Conformity
    18Western EuropeCorrelation has the predicted sign18Tradition
    18Western Europe95% interval on the predicted side17Tradition
    18Post-communist EuropeCorrelation has the predicted sign8Tradition
    18Post-communist Europe95% interval on the predicted side4Tradition
    18Western EuropeCorrelation has the predicted sign17Security
    18Western Europe95% interval on the predicted side14Security
    18Post-communist EuropeCorrelation has the predicted sign6Security
    18Post-communist Europe95% interval on the predicted side5Security
    18Western EuropeCorrelation has the predicted sign18Power
    18Western Europe95% interval on the predicted side17Power
    18Post-communist EuropeCorrelation has the predicted sign12Power
    18Post-communist Europe95% interval on the predicted side7Power
    18Western EuropeCorrelation has the predicted sign12Achievement
    18Western Europe95% interval on the predicted side8Achievement
    18Post-communist EuropeCorrelation has the predicted sign12Achievement
    18Post-communist Europe95% interval on the predicted side5Achievement
    18Western EuropeCorrelation has the predicted sign16Stimulation
    18Western Europe95% interval on the predicted side13Stimulation
    18Post-communist EuropeCorrelation has the predicted sign6Stimulation
    18Post-communist Europe95% interval on the predicted side2Stimulation
    18Western EuropeCorrelation has the predicted sign16Self-direction
    18Western Europe95% interval on the predicted side14Self-direction
    18Post-communist EuropeCorrelation has the predicted sign9Self-direction
    18Post-communist Europe95% interval on the predicted side3Self-direction
    18Western EuropeCorrelation has the predicted sign18Universalism
    18Western Europe95% interval on the predicted side18Universalism
    18Post-communist EuropeCorrelation has the predicted sign15Universalism
    18Post-communist Europe95% interval on the predicted side12Universalism
    18Western EuropeCorrelation has the predicted sign18Benevolence
    18Western Europe95% interval on the predicted side17Benevolence
    18Post-communist EuropeCorrelation has the predicted sign10Benevolence
    18Post-communist Europe95% interval on the predicted side7Benevolence
    Western counts reach the group total for conformity, tradition, power, universalism and benevolence, while post-communist counts run from 6 for security and stimulation to 15 for universalism, and chance alone would give about 9. Each bar counts the countries, out of 18 in a group, where the correlation has the predicted sign, and the lowest Western count is for achievement (12). Hedonism has no predicted side and is left out. Switch the view for the 95% interval.Note: The two groups have the same number of countries. The first view counts countries by the sign of the correlation and the second view counts countries whose 95% interval excludes zero on the predicted side.Note: In a tooltip, n is the group total.Note: Country cells need an effective sample of 300 respondents or more.Source: European Social Survey, rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024; weighted (analysis weight within each country, every country counted once across countries)

    Grouped into Schwartz's four higher-order types, the pattern is the same. Conservation loads right at +0.14 (95% CI 0.11 to 0.16)+0.14 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with higher-order axis Conservation (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 0.11 to 0.16WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey and self-transcendence loads left at −0.16 (95% CI −0.19 to −0.14)−0.16 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with higher-order axis Self-transcendence (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI −0.19 to −0.14WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey, and both have an interval on the predicted side in all 1818 countriesEstimandcount of countries in the group, fixed by geography and historyWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey Western countries.

    Post-communist countries split three ways

    The same estimator gives a different result in the 1818 countriesEstimandcount of countries in the group, fixed by historyWeightsnone (count)Populationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey post-communist countries. Figure 3 shows every value in every country. Its first view sets the Western mean beside each post-communist country, and the other views list the Western countries and all countries. The Western countries repeat one pattern, and the post-communist countries do not.

    Figure 3

    Western European countries show one pattern of correlations and post-communist countries show several

    Correlation between each value and left-right self-placement (0 = left, 10 = right), by country; columns run from the values predicted to lean right, through the values predicted to lean left, to hedonism; ESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024

    −0.300.00+0.30
    A matrix of the Western mean and the 18 post-communist countries by ten values, shaded by the correlation with left-right. The Western mean row is teal for conformity, tradition and power and brown for universalism and benevolence. Post-communist rows are mixed, with brown conservation cells in Bulgaria, Czechia and Slovakia and teal ones in Croatia, Poland and Slovenia. Other views list the Western countries, which repeat the Western pattern, and all 39 countries.
    CountryAchievementPowerSecurityConformityTraditionBenevolenceUniversalismSelf-directionStimulationHedonism
    Western mean+0.01, interval 0.00 to +0.02+0.09, interval +0.07 to +0.11+0.07, interval +0.04 to +0.10+0.11, interval +0.09 to +0.13+0.10, interval +0.08 to +0.12−0.07, interval −0.08 to −0.06−0.19, interval −0.22 to −0.16−0.05, interval −0.07 to −0.03−0.05, interval −0.06 to −0.03−0.02, interval −0.04 to −0.01
    Croatia−0.03, interval −0.06 to 0.00, n = 6,686+0.02, interval −0.01 to +0.05, n = 6,690+0.05, interval +0.03 to +0.08, n = 6,687+0.08, interval +0.05 to +0.10, n = 6,681+0.19, interval +0.16 to +0.21, n = 6,684−0.05, interval −0.07 to −0.02, n = 6,683−0.06, interval −0.09 to −0.04, n = 6,694−0.10, interval −0.13 to −0.07, n = 6,687−0.06, interval −0.09 to −0.04, n = 6,683−0.04, interval −0.06 to −0.01, n = 6,680
    Slovenia−0.02, interval −0.04 to 0.00, n = 11,283+0.03, interval +0.01 to +0.05, n = 11,291+0.05, interval +0.03 to +0.07, n = 11,288+0.08, interval +0.06 to +0.10, n = 11,286+0.15, interval +0.13 to +0.17, n = 11,288−0.05, interval −0.06 to −0.03, n = 11,286−0.10, interval −0.12 to −0.08, n = 11,293−0.08, interval −0.10 to −0.06, n = 11,289−0.02, interval −0.04 to 0.00, n = 11,284−0.07, interval −0.09 to −0.06, n = 11,283
    Poland−0.05, interval −0.06 to −0.03, n = 14,177+0.02, interval +0.01 to +0.04, n = 14,199+0.05, interval +0.03 to +0.07, n = 14,198+0.07, interval +0.05 to +0.09, n = 14,182+0.14, interval +0.12 to +0.15, n = 14,196+0.01, interval −0.01 to +0.03, n = 14,187−0.02, interval −0.04 to 0.00, n = 14,205−0.06, interval −0.08 to −0.04, n = 14,197−0.07, interval −0.08 to −0.05, n = 14,192−0.07, interval −0.09 to −0.06, n = 14,180
    Montenegro+0.03, interval −0.02 to +0.08, n = 2,972−0.06, interval −0.11 to −0.02, n = 2,972+0.10, interval +0.05 to +0.15, n = 2,972−0.03, interval −0.08 to +0.01, n = 2,967+0.01, interval −0.04 to +0.06, n = 2,972+0.08, interval +0.03 to +0.12, n = 2,971+0.04, interval 0.00 to +0.09, n = 2,976−0.04, interval −0.09 to 0.00, n = 2,976−0.05, interval −0.10 to 0.00, n = 2,969−0.03, interval −0.08 to +0.02, n = 2,967
    Hungary+0.01, interval 0.00 to +0.03, n = 15,163+0.05, interval +0.03 to +0.06, n = 15,176−0.02, interval −0.04 to 0.00, n = 15,172−0.01, interval −0.03 to 0.00, n = 15,169+0.01, interval −0.01 to +0.03, n = 15,177−0.04, interval −0.06 to −0.02, n = 15,164−0.07, interval −0.09 to −0.05, n = 15,179−0.01, interval −0.03 to 0.00, n = 15,185+0.05, interval +0.03 to +0.07, n = 15,166+0.02, interval 0.00 to +0.04, n = 15,170
    Ukraine+0.10, interval +0.07 to +0.13, n = 7,211+0.03, interval 0.00 to +0.06, n = 7,233−0.06, interval −0.09 to −0.03, n = 7,232−0.05, interval −0.08 to −0.02, n = 7,216−0.02, interval −0.05 to +0.01, n = 7,235−0.02, interval −0.05 to +0.01, n = 7,229−0.07, interval −0.10 to −0.04, n = 7,251−0.01, interval −0.04 to +0.02, n = 7,232+0.03, interval 0.00 to +0.06, n = 7,224+0.06, interval +0.03 to +0.09, n = 7,196
    Serbia−0.03, interval −0.08 to +0.02, n = 2,294+0.01, interval −0.04 to +0.05, n = 2,298−0.04, interval −0.08 to +0.01, n = 2,2950.00, interval −0.05 to +0.05, n = 2,295+0.05, interval 0.00 to +0.10, n = 2,298−0.05, interval −0.10 to 0.00, n = 2,299−0.07, interval −0.11 to −0.02, n = 2,298−0.02, interval −0.07 to +0.03, n = 2,299+0.04, interval −0.01 to +0.09, n = 2,292+0.06, interval +0.01 to +0.11, n = 2,295
    Lithuania+0.01, interval −0.02 to +0.04, n = 9,097−0.03, interval −0.05 to 0.00, n = 9,117+0.01, interval −0.02 to +0.03, n = 9,112+0.02, interval −0.01 to +0.04, n = 9,101−0.01, interval −0.03 to +0.02, n = 9,121−0.01, interval −0.03 to +0.02, n = 9,104−0.02, interval −0.05 to 0.00, n = 9,126+0.01, interval −0.02 to +0.04, n = 9,120−0.01, interval −0.04 to +0.01, n = 9,113+0.03, interval 0.00 to +0.06, n = 9,113
    North Macedonia+0.06, interval −0.04 to +0.15, n = 879−0.01, interval −0.11 to +0.09, n = 877−0.05, interval −0.14 to +0.05, n = 878+0.01, interval −0.08 to +0.11, n = 878−0.01, interval −0.10 to +0.09, n = 878+0.01, interval −0.08 to +0.11, n = 877−0.03, interval −0.12 to +0.07, n = 879+0.05, interval −0.05 to +0.14, n = 879−0.03, interval −0.13 to +0.07, n = 878+0.01, interval −0.09 to +0.11, n = 878
    Latvia+0.03, interval −0.02 to +0.07, n = 3,133+0.02, interval −0.03 to +0.06, n = 3,134−0.01, interval −0.06 to +0.03, n = 3,135−0.02, interval −0.06 to +0.02, n = 3,130−0.03, interval −0.08 to +0.01, n = 3,137+0.03, interval −0.01 to +0.07, n = 3,132−0.05, interval −0.09 to −0.01, n = 3,1380.00, interval −0.05 to +0.04, n = 3,137+0.04, interval 0.00 to +0.08, n = 3,134+0.03, interval −0.02 to +0.07, n = 3,134
    Kosovo−0.06, interval −0.16 to +0.03, n = 806−0.07, interval −0.16 to +0.02, n = 807+0.10, interval +0.01 to +0.19, n = 804+0.04, interval −0.06 to +0.13, n = 802+0.06, interval −0.04 to +0.15, n = 808+0.02, interval −0.07 to +0.11, n = 807+0.01, interval −0.08 to +0.11, n = 808+0.06, interval −0.03 to +0.15, n = 806+0.01, interval −0.08 to +0.11, n = 801−0.11, interval −0.20 to −0.01, n = 804
    Russia+0.03, interval 0.00 to +0.06, n = 7,967+0.01, interval −0.02 to +0.04, n = 7,982−0.03, interval −0.06 to 0.00, n = 7,982−0.04, interval −0.07 to −0.01, n = 7,969−0.03, interval −0.05 to 0.00, n = 7,985+0.01, interval −0.02 to +0.03, n = 7,975−0.07, interval −0.09 to −0.04, n = 7,992+0.01, interval −0.02 to +0.03, n = 7,986+0.04, interval +0.01 to +0.07, n = 7,962+0.06, interval +0.03 to +0.08, n = 7,962
    Romania+0.03, interval −0.03 to +0.09, n = 1,463+0.05, interval −0.01 to +0.11, n = 1,462−0.04, interval −0.10 to +0.02, n = 1,463+0.01, interval −0.04 to +0.07, n = 1,463−0.09, interval −0.15 to −0.04, n = 1,464−0.06, interval −0.12 to −0.01, n = 1,462−0.06, interval −0.11 to 0.00, n = 1,464+0.04, interval −0.02 to +0.10, n = 1,464+0.05, interval 0.00 to +0.11, n = 1,463+0.04, interval −0.02 to +0.10, n = 1,463
    Albania+0.01, interval −0.07 to +0.10, n = 1,031−0.05, interval −0.13 to +0.04, n = 1,040−0.05, interval −0.13 to +0.04, n = 1,037−0.02, interval −0.11 to +0.06, n = 1,035+0.06, interval −0.02 to +0.15, n = 1,039+0.02, interval −0.06 to +0.11, n = 1,034+0.06, interval −0.03 to +0.14, n = 1,041−0.05, interval −0.13 to +0.03, n = 1,035+0.04, interval −0.04 to +0.13, n = 1,022−0.01, interval −0.09 to +0.08, n = 1,032
    Estonia−0.01, interval −0.02 to +0.01, n = 15,020−0.01, interval −0.02 to +0.01, n = 15,027−0.06, interval −0.08 to −0.05, n = 15,026−0.02, interval −0.04 to −0.01, n = 15,020−0.05, interval −0.06 to −0.03, n = 15,028+0.02, interval 0.00 to +0.03, n = 15,024−0.05, interval −0.07 to −0.03, n = 15,033+0.06, interval +0.04 to +0.07, n = 15,025+0.06, interval +0.04 to +0.08, n = 15,015+0.07, interval +0.05 to +0.09, n = 15,016
    Slovakia+0.10, interval +0.08 to +0.12, n = 10,981+0.08, interval +0.06 to +0.11, n = 10,980−0.12, interval −0.14 to −0.10, n = 10,989−0.13, interval −0.15 to −0.10, n = 10,973−0.14, interval −0.16 to −0.12, n = 10,982−0.04, interval −0.06 to −0.01, n = 10,975−0.06, interval −0.09 to −0.04, n = 10,993+0.09, interval +0.07 to +0.11, n = 10,988+0.12, interval +0.09 to +0.14, n = 10,979+0.08, interval +0.06 to +0.11, n = 10,977
    Czechia+0.12, interval +0.10 to +0.14, n = 17,119+0.09, interval +0.07 to +0.11, n = 17,142−0.16, interval −0.17 to −0.14, n = 17,139−0.16, interval −0.18 to −0.15, n = 17,122−0.15, interval −0.17 to −0.13, n = 17,130−0.06, interval −0.08 to −0.04, n = 17,135−0.11, interval −0.13 to −0.10, n = 17,162+0.13, interval +0.12 to +0.15, n = 17,060+0.16, interval +0.14 to +0.18, n = 17,117+0.13, interval +0.11 to +0.14, n = 17,116
    Bulgaria+0.09, interval +0.06 to +0.11, n = 11,580+0.14, interval +0.12 to +0.16, n = 11,602−0.17, interval −0.19 to −0.15, n = 11,607−0.17, interval −0.20 to −0.15, n = 11,578−0.21, interval −0.23 to −0.18, n = 11,615−0.09, interval −0.11 to −0.06, n = 11,590−0.15, interval −0.18 to −0.13, n = 11,618+0.15, interval +0.13 to +0.17, n = 11,581+0.18, interval +0.16 to +0.20, n = 11,560+0.17, interval +0.15 to +0.19, n = 11,563
    Show data
    Data for Western European countries show one pattern of correlations and post-communist countries show several
    CountryValueCorrelationInterval lowInterval highRespondentsCountries in the meanGroup
    Western meanAchievement+0.010.00+0.02n/a18Western mean
    Western meanPower+0.09+0.07+0.11n/a18Western mean
    Western meanSecurity+0.07+0.04+0.10n/a18Western mean
    Western meanConformity+0.11+0.09+0.13n/a18Western mean
    Western meanTradition+0.10+0.08+0.12n/a18Western mean
    Western meanBenevolence−0.07−0.08−0.06n/a18Western mean
    Western meanUniversalism−0.19−0.22−0.16n/a18Western mean
    Western meanSelf-direction−0.05−0.07−0.03n/a18Western mean
    Western meanStimulation−0.05−0.06−0.03n/a18Western mean
    Western meanHedonism−0.02−0.04−0.01n/a18Western mean
    SwitzerlandAchievement+0.020.00+0.0416,955n/aWestern Europe
    SwitzerlandPower+0.10+0.09+0.1216,955n/aWestern Europe
    SwitzerlandSecurity+0.16+0.14+0.1816,945n/aWestern Europe
    SwitzerlandConformity+0.14+0.12+0.1516,927n/aWestern Europe
    SwitzerlandTradition+0.16+0.14+0.1816,960n/aWestern Europe
    SwitzerlandBenevolence−0.11−0.13−0.1016,956n/aWestern Europe
    SwitzerlandUniversalism−0.30−0.31−0.2816,971n/aWestern Europe
    SwitzerlandSelf-direction−0.09−0.10−0.0716,963n/aWestern Europe
    SwitzerlandStimulation−0.09−0.11−0.0716,958n/aWestern Europe
    SwitzerlandHedonism−0.01−0.030.0016,958n/aWestern Europe
    AustriaAchievement+0.01−0.01+0.0313,695n/aWestern Europe
    AustriaPower+0.08+0.06+0.1013,699n/aWestern Europe
    AustriaSecurity+0.12+0.10+0.1413,689n/aWestern Europe
    AustriaConformity+0.16+0.14+0.1813,678n/aWestern Europe
    AustriaTradition+0.16+0.14+0.1813,699n/aWestern Europe
    AustriaBenevolence−0.12−0.14−0.1013,698n/aWestern Europe
    AustriaUniversalism−0.22−0.24−0.2013,706n/aWestern Europe
    AustriaSelf-direction−0.11−0.13−0.0913,700n/aWestern Europe
    AustriaStimulation−0.07−0.09−0.0513,695n/aWestern Europe
    AustriaHedonism−0.05−0.07−0.0213,698n/aWestern Europe
    SpainAchievement+0.03+0.02+0.0516,347n/aWestern Europe
    SpainPower+0.07+0.05+0.0816,365n/aWestern Europe
    SpainSecurity+0.12+0.11+0.1416,369n/aWestern Europe
    SpainConformity+0.16+0.14+0.1716,380n/aWestern Europe
    SpainTradition+0.13+0.11+0.1416,378n/aWestern Europe
    SpainBenevolence−0.07−0.09−0.0616,373n/aWestern Europe
    SpainUniversalism−0.17−0.19−0.1616,377n/aWestern Europe
    SpainSelf-direction−0.11−0.12−0.0916,363n/aWestern Europe
    SpainStimulation−0.09−0.11−0.0816,366n/aWestern Europe
    SpainHedonism−0.07−0.09−0.0616,364n/aWestern Europe
    FranceAchievement+0.020.00+0.0419,026n/aWestern Europe
    FrancePower+0.08+0.06+0.0919,035n/aWestern Europe
    FranceSecurity+0.17+0.16+0.1919,033n/aWestern Europe
    FranceConformity+0.12+0.11+0.1419,018n/aWestern Europe
    FranceTradition+0.11+0.09+0.1219,027n/aWestern Europe
    FranceBenevolence−0.07−0.08−0.0519,026n/aWestern Europe
    FranceUniversalism−0.22−0.24−0.2119,040n/aWestern Europe
    FranceSelf-direction−0.05−0.07−0.0419,038n/aWestern Europe
    FranceStimulation−0.07−0.08−0.0519,031n/aWestern Europe
    FranceHedonism−0.08−0.10−0.0619,024n/aWestern Europe
    NetherlandsAchievement+0.020.00+0.0418,727n/aWestern Europe
    NetherlandsPower+0.13+0.11+0.1518,732n/aWestern Europe
    NetherlandsSecurity+0.10+0.08+0.1118,729n/aWestern Europe
    NetherlandsConformity+0.12+0.10+0.1318,731n/aWestern Europe
    NetherlandsTradition+0.09+0.08+0.1118,731n/aWestern Europe
    NetherlandsBenevolence−0.09−0.10−0.0718,734n/aWestern Europe
    NetherlandsUniversalism−0.27−0.28−0.2518,734n/aWestern Europe
    NetherlandsSelf-direction−0.08−0.10−0.0718,723n/aWestern Europe
    NetherlandsStimulation−0.04−0.05−0.0218,731n/aWestern Europe
    NetherlandsHedonism+0.01−0.01+0.0218,732n/aWestern Europe
    GermanyAchievement0.00−0.02+0.0126,141n/aWestern Europe
    GermanyPower+0.05+0.03+0.0626,157n/aWestern Europe
    GermanySecurity+0.12+0.11+0.1426,141n/aWestern Europe
    GermanyConformity+0.11+0.10+0.1326,132n/aWestern Europe
    GermanyTradition+0.13+0.11+0.1426,152n/aWestern Europe
    GermanyBenevolence−0.07−0.09−0.0626,141n/aWestern Europe
    GermanyUniversalism−0.20−0.22−0.1926,160n/aWestern Europe
    GermanySelf-direction−0.05−0.07−0.0426,149n/aWestern Europe
    GermanyStimulation−0.08−0.09−0.0626,144n/aWestern Europe
    GermanyHedonism−0.03−0.05−0.0226,145n/aWestern Europe
    LuxembourgAchievement+0.01−0.05+0.071,336n/aWestern Europe
    LuxembourgPower+0.03−0.04+0.091,338n/aWestern Europe
    LuxembourgSecurity+0.08+0.01+0.141,338n/aWestern Europe
    LuxembourgConformity+0.15+0.09+0.221,337n/aWestern Europe
    LuxembourgTradition+0.13+0.07+0.191,338n/aWestern Europe
    LuxembourgBenevolence−0.04−0.10+0.031,338n/aWestern Europe
    LuxembourgUniversalism−0.10−0.16−0.041,338n/aWestern Europe
    LuxembourgSelf-direction−0.09−0.15−0.031,337n/aWestern Europe
    LuxembourgStimulation−0.09−0.16−0.031,338n/aWestern Europe
    LuxembourgHedonism−0.10−0.16−0.041,338n/aWestern Europe
    DenmarkAchievement−0.01−0.03+0.0111,701n/aWestern Europe
    DenmarkPower+0.13+0.11+0.1511,713n/aWestern Europe
    DenmarkSecurity+0.03+0.01+0.0511,704n/aWestern Europe
    DenmarkConformity+0.13+0.11+0.1511,699n/aWestern Europe
    DenmarkTradition+0.10+0.08+0.1211,711n/aWestern Europe
    DenmarkBenevolence−0.09−0.11−0.0711,700n/aWestern Europe
    DenmarkUniversalism−0.27−0.28−0.2511,714n/aWestern Europe
    DenmarkSelf-direction+0.020.00+0.0411,717n/aWestern Europe
    DenmarkStimulation−0.04−0.06−0.0211,697n/aWestern Europe
    DenmarkHedonism0.00−0.02+0.0211,703n/aWestern Europe
    United KingdomAchievement−0.03−0.05−0.0219,557n/aWestern Europe
    United KingdomPower+0.07+0.06+0.0919,572n/aWestern Europe
    United KingdomSecurity+0.09+0.08+0.1119,559n/aWestern Europe
    United KingdomConformity+0.13+0.12+0.1519,562n/aWestern Europe
    United KingdomTradition+0.12+0.10+0.1419,559n/aWestern Europe
    United KingdomBenevolence−0.07−0.09−0.0619,565n/aWestern Europe
    United KingdomUniversalism−0.19−0.20−0.1719,570n/aWestern Europe
    United KingdomSelf-direction−0.04−0.05−0.0219,571n/aWestern Europe
    United KingdomStimulation−0.05−0.07−0.0419,560n/aWestern Europe
    United KingdomHedonism−0.03−0.05−0.0119,555n/aWestern Europe
    FinlandAchievement+0.03+0.02+0.0518,948n/aWestern Europe
    FinlandPower+0.11+0.10+0.1318,962n/aWestern Europe
    FinlandSecurity0.00−0.01+0.0218,955n/aWestern Europe
    FinlandConformity+0.11+0.10+0.1318,933n/aWestern Europe
    FinlandTradition+0.12+0.10+0.1318,941n/aWestern Europe
    FinlandBenevolence−0.08−0.09−0.0618,923n/aWestern Europe
    FinlandUniversalism−0.20−0.21−0.1818,968n/aWestern Europe
    FinlandSelf-direction−0.04−0.05−0.0218,965n/aWestern Europe
    FinlandStimulation−0.04−0.06−0.0318,939n/aWestern Europe
    FinlandHedonism−0.05−0.06−0.0318,928n/aWestern Europe
    IcelandAchievement−0.01−0.04+0.024,430n/aWestern Europe
    IcelandPower+0.15+0.12+0.184,436n/aWestern Europe
    IcelandSecurity+0.01−0.02+0.054,428n/aWestern Europe
    IcelandConformity+0.10+0.07+0.144,429n/aWestern Europe
    IcelandTradition+0.12+0.09+0.154,434n/aWestern Europe
    IcelandBenevolence−0.08−0.11−0.054,435n/aWestern Europe
    IcelandUniversalism−0.25−0.28−0.224,437n/aWestern Europe
    IcelandSelf-direction−0.01−0.04+0.024,436n/aWestern Europe
    IcelandStimulation−0.01−0.05+0.024,433n/aWestern Europe
    IcelandHedonism−0.03−0.060.004,431n/aWestern Europe
    IrelandAchievement−0.01−0.03+0.0119,303n/aWestern Europe
    IrelandPower+0.05+0.03+0.0719,308n/aWestern Europe
    IrelandSecurity+0.07+0.05+0.0919,306n/aWestern Europe
    IrelandConformity+0.15+0.13+0.1719,292n/aWestern Europe
    IrelandTradition+0.11+0.09+0.1219,306n/aWestern Europe
    IrelandBenevolence−0.05−0.07−0.0419,287n/aWestern Europe
    IrelandUniversalism−0.10−0.11−0.0819,311n/aWestern Europe
    IrelandSelf-direction−0.08−0.09−0.0619,307n/aWestern Europe
    IrelandStimulation−0.09−0.10−0.0719,301n/aWestern Europe
    IrelandHedonism−0.07−0.08−0.0519,287n/aWestern Europe
    NorwayAchievement+0.02+0.01+0.0416,216n/aWestern Europe
    NorwayPower+0.14+0.12+0.1616,225n/aWestern Europe
    NorwaySecurity+0.020.00+0.0316,219n/aWestern Europe
    NorwayConformity+0.06+0.04+0.0716,223n/aWestern Europe
    NorwayTradition+0.06+0.05+0.0816,216n/aWestern Europe
    NorwayBenevolence−0.03−0.04−0.0116,212n/aWestern Europe
    NorwayUniversalism−0.26−0.27−0.2416,231n/aWestern Europe
    NorwaySelf-direction−0.01−0.03+0.0116,220n/aWestern Europe
    NorwayStimulation0.00−0.02+0.0216,221n/aWestern Europe
    NorwayHedonism+0.02+0.01+0.0416,209n/aWestern Europe
    GreeceAchievement+0.02−0.01+0.0412,385n/aWestern Europe
    GreecePower+0.05+0.03+0.0712,396n/aWestern Europe
    GreeceSecurity+0.020.00+0.0412,395n/aWestern Europe
    GreeceConformity+0.11+0.09+0.1312,391n/aWestern Europe
    GreeceTradition+0.07+0.05+0.0912,396n/aWestern Europe
    GreeceBenevolence−0.05−0.07−0.0312,396n/aWestern Europe
    GreeceUniversalism−0.07−0.09−0.0512,397n/aWestern Europe
    GreeceSelf-direction−0.09−0.11−0.0712,395n/aWestern Europe
    GreeceStimulation−0.08−0.10−0.0612,391n/aWestern Europe
    GreeceHedonism−0.01−0.03+0.0112,393n/aWestern Europe
    BelgiumAchievement+0.01−0.01+0.0217,920n/aWestern Europe
    BelgiumPower+0.07+0.05+0.0817,920n/aWestern Europe
    BelgiumSecurity+0.08+0.06+0.0917,922n/aWestern Europe
    BelgiumConformity+0.06+0.04+0.0817,919n/aWestern Europe
    BelgiumTradition+0.04+0.02+0.0517,921n/aWestern Europe
    BelgiumBenevolence−0.03−0.04−0.0117,921n/aWestern Europe
    BelgiumUniversalism−0.17−0.18−0.1517,923n/aWestern Europe
    BelgiumSelf-direction−0.03−0.04−0.0117,919n/aWestern Europe
    BelgiumStimulation−0.03−0.05−0.0217,921n/aWestern Europe
    BelgiumHedonism+0.01−0.01+0.0217,921n/aWestern Europe
    ItalyAchievement+0.030.00+0.058,517n/aWestern Europe
    ItalyPower+0.09+0.06+0.118,528n/aWestern Europe
    ItalySecurity+0.08+0.06+0.118,531n/aWestern Europe
    ItalyConformity+0.03+0.01+0.068,514n/aWestern Europe
    ItalyTradition+0.020.00+0.058,535n/aWestern Europe
    ItalyBenevolence−0.09−0.12−0.078,535n/aWestern Europe
    ItalyUniversalism−0.19−0.21−0.168,539n/aWestern Europe
    ItalySelf-direction−0.05−0.07−0.028,521n/aWestern Europe
    ItalyStimulation+0.01−0.01+0.048,525n/aWestern Europe
    ItalyHedonism+0.04+0.01+0.068,527n/aWestern Europe
    SwedenAchievement+0.03+0.01+0.0515,308n/aWestern Europe
    SwedenPower+0.17+0.15+0.1915,309n/aWestern Europe
    SwedenSecurity−0.07−0.09−0.0515,305n/aWestern Europe
    SwedenConformity+0.09+0.08+0.1115,305n/aWestern Europe
    SwedenTradition+0.05+0.03+0.0715,308n/aWestern Europe
    SwedenBenevolence−0.09−0.11−0.0715,276n/aWestern Europe
    SwedenUniversalism−0.23−0.25−0.2215,326n/aWestern Europe
    SwedenSelf-direction+0.01−0.01+0.0315,313n/aWestern Europe
    SwedenStimulation+0.03+0.01+0.0415,312n/aWestern Europe
    SwedenHedonism+0.03+0.01+0.0415,302n/aWestern Europe
    PortugalAchievement0.00−0.03+0.0214,498n/aWestern Europe
    PortugalPower+0.04+0.02+0.0614,519n/aWestern Europe
    PortugalSecurity+0.03+0.01+0.0514,508n/aWestern Europe
    PortugalConformity+0.06+0.04+0.0814,495n/aWestern Europe
    PortugalTradition+0.05+0.03+0.0714,513n/aWestern Europe
    PortugalBenevolence−0.03−0.050.0014,518n/aWestern Europe
    PortugalUniversalism−0.09−0.11−0.0714,518n/aWestern Europe
    PortugalSelf-direction−0.06−0.08−0.0314,513n/aWestern Europe
    PortugalStimulation0.00−0.02+0.0214,508n/aWestern Europe
    PortugalHedonism−0.02−0.040.0014,500n/aWestern Europe
    CroatiaAchievement−0.03−0.060.006,686n/aPost-communist Europe
    CroatiaPower+0.02−0.01+0.056,690n/aPost-communist Europe
    CroatiaSecurity+0.05+0.03+0.086,687n/aPost-communist Europe
    CroatiaConformity+0.08+0.05+0.106,681n/aPost-communist Europe
    CroatiaTradition+0.19+0.16+0.216,684n/aPost-communist Europe
    CroatiaBenevolence−0.05−0.07−0.026,683n/aPost-communist Europe
    CroatiaUniversalism−0.06−0.09−0.046,694n/aPost-communist Europe
    CroatiaSelf-direction−0.10−0.13−0.076,687n/aPost-communist Europe
    CroatiaStimulation−0.06−0.09−0.046,683n/aPost-communist Europe
    CroatiaHedonism−0.04−0.06−0.016,680n/aPost-communist Europe
    SloveniaAchievement−0.02−0.040.0011,283n/aPost-communist Europe
    SloveniaPower+0.03+0.01+0.0511,291n/aPost-communist Europe
    SloveniaSecurity+0.05+0.03+0.0711,288n/aPost-communist Europe
    SloveniaConformity+0.08+0.06+0.1011,286n/aPost-communist Europe
    SloveniaTradition+0.15+0.13+0.1711,288n/aPost-communist Europe
    SloveniaBenevolence−0.05−0.06−0.0311,286n/aPost-communist Europe
    SloveniaUniversalism−0.10−0.12−0.0811,293n/aPost-communist Europe
    SloveniaSelf-direction−0.08−0.10−0.0611,289n/aPost-communist Europe
    SloveniaStimulation−0.02−0.040.0011,284n/aPost-communist Europe
    SloveniaHedonism−0.07−0.09−0.0611,283n/aPost-communist Europe
    PolandAchievement−0.05−0.06−0.0314,177n/aPost-communist Europe
    PolandPower+0.02+0.01+0.0414,199n/aPost-communist Europe
    PolandSecurity+0.05+0.03+0.0714,198n/aPost-communist Europe
    PolandConformity+0.07+0.05+0.0914,182n/aPost-communist Europe
    PolandTradition+0.14+0.12+0.1514,196n/aPost-communist Europe
    PolandBenevolence+0.01−0.01+0.0314,187n/aPost-communist Europe
    PolandUniversalism−0.02−0.040.0014,205n/aPost-communist Europe
    PolandSelf-direction−0.06−0.08−0.0414,197n/aPost-communist Europe
    PolandStimulation−0.07−0.08−0.0514,192n/aPost-communist Europe
    PolandHedonism−0.07−0.09−0.0614,180n/aPost-communist Europe
    MontenegroAchievement+0.03−0.02+0.082,972n/aPost-communist Europe
    MontenegroPower−0.06−0.11−0.022,972n/aPost-communist Europe
    MontenegroSecurity+0.10+0.05+0.152,972n/aPost-communist Europe
    MontenegroConformity−0.03−0.08+0.012,967n/aPost-communist Europe
    MontenegroTradition+0.01−0.04+0.062,972n/aPost-communist Europe
    MontenegroBenevolence+0.08+0.03+0.122,971n/aPost-communist Europe
    MontenegroUniversalism+0.040.00+0.092,976n/aPost-communist Europe
    MontenegroSelf-direction−0.04−0.090.002,976n/aPost-communist Europe
    MontenegroStimulation−0.05−0.100.002,969n/aPost-communist Europe
    MontenegroHedonism−0.03−0.08+0.022,967n/aPost-communist Europe
    HungaryAchievement+0.010.00+0.0315,163n/aPost-communist Europe
    HungaryPower+0.05+0.03+0.0615,176n/aPost-communist Europe
    HungarySecurity−0.02−0.040.0015,172n/aPost-communist Europe
    HungaryConformity−0.01−0.030.0015,169n/aPost-communist Europe
    HungaryTradition+0.01−0.01+0.0315,177n/aPost-communist Europe
    HungaryBenevolence−0.04−0.06−0.0215,164n/aPost-communist Europe
    HungaryUniversalism−0.07−0.09−0.0515,179n/aPost-communist Europe
    HungarySelf-direction−0.01−0.030.0015,185n/aPost-communist Europe
    HungaryStimulation+0.05+0.03+0.0715,166n/aPost-communist Europe
    HungaryHedonism+0.020.00+0.0415,170n/aPost-communist Europe
    UkraineAchievement+0.10+0.07+0.137,211n/aPost-communist Europe
    UkrainePower+0.030.00+0.067,233n/aPost-communist Europe
    UkraineSecurity−0.06−0.09−0.037,232n/aPost-communist Europe
    UkraineConformity−0.05−0.08−0.027,216n/aPost-communist Europe
    UkraineTradition−0.02−0.05+0.017,235n/aPost-communist Europe
    UkraineBenevolence−0.02−0.05+0.017,229n/aPost-communist Europe
    UkraineUniversalism−0.07−0.10−0.047,251n/aPost-communist Europe
    UkraineSelf-direction−0.01−0.04+0.027,232n/aPost-communist Europe
    UkraineStimulation+0.030.00+0.067,224n/aPost-communist Europe
    UkraineHedonism+0.06+0.03+0.097,196n/aPost-communist Europe
    SerbiaAchievement−0.03−0.08+0.022,294n/aPost-communist Europe
    SerbiaPower+0.01−0.04+0.052,298n/aPost-communist Europe
    SerbiaSecurity−0.04−0.08+0.012,295n/aPost-communist Europe
    SerbiaConformity0.00−0.05+0.052,295n/aPost-communist Europe
    SerbiaTradition+0.050.00+0.102,298n/aPost-communist Europe
    SerbiaBenevolence−0.05−0.100.002,299n/aPost-communist Europe
    SerbiaUniversalism−0.07−0.11−0.022,298n/aPost-communist Europe
    SerbiaSelf-direction−0.02−0.07+0.032,299n/aPost-communist Europe
    SerbiaStimulation+0.04−0.01+0.092,292n/aPost-communist Europe
    SerbiaHedonism+0.06+0.01+0.112,295n/aPost-communist Europe
    LithuaniaAchievement+0.01−0.02+0.049,097n/aPost-communist Europe
    LithuaniaPower−0.03−0.050.009,117n/aPost-communist Europe
    LithuaniaSecurity+0.01−0.02+0.039,112n/aPost-communist Europe
    LithuaniaConformity+0.02−0.01+0.049,101n/aPost-communist Europe
    LithuaniaTradition−0.01−0.03+0.029,121n/aPost-communist Europe
    LithuaniaBenevolence−0.01−0.03+0.029,104n/aPost-communist Europe
    LithuaniaUniversalism−0.02−0.050.009,126n/aPost-communist Europe
    LithuaniaSelf-direction+0.01−0.02+0.049,120n/aPost-communist Europe
    LithuaniaStimulation−0.01−0.04+0.019,113n/aPost-communist Europe
    LithuaniaHedonism+0.030.00+0.069,113n/aPost-communist Europe
    North MacedoniaAchievement+0.06−0.04+0.15879n/aPost-communist Europe
    North MacedoniaPower−0.01−0.11+0.09877n/aPost-communist Europe
    North MacedoniaSecurity−0.05−0.14+0.05878n/aPost-communist Europe
    North MacedoniaConformity+0.01−0.08+0.11878n/aPost-communist Europe
    North MacedoniaTradition−0.01−0.10+0.09878n/aPost-communist Europe
    North MacedoniaBenevolence+0.01−0.08+0.11877n/aPost-communist Europe
    North MacedoniaUniversalism−0.03−0.12+0.07879n/aPost-communist Europe
    North MacedoniaSelf-direction+0.05−0.05+0.14879n/aPost-communist Europe
    North MacedoniaStimulation−0.03−0.13+0.07878n/aPost-communist Europe
    North MacedoniaHedonism+0.01−0.09+0.11878n/aPost-communist Europe
    LatviaAchievement+0.03−0.02+0.073,133n/aPost-communist Europe
    LatviaPower+0.02−0.03+0.063,134n/aPost-communist Europe
    LatviaSecurity−0.01−0.06+0.033,135n/aPost-communist Europe
    LatviaConformity−0.02−0.06+0.023,130n/aPost-communist Europe
    LatviaTradition−0.03−0.08+0.013,137n/aPost-communist Europe
    LatviaBenevolence+0.03−0.01+0.073,132n/aPost-communist Europe
    LatviaUniversalism−0.05−0.09−0.013,138n/aPost-communist Europe
    LatviaSelf-direction0.00−0.05+0.043,137n/aPost-communist Europe
    LatviaStimulation+0.040.00+0.083,134n/aPost-communist Europe
    LatviaHedonism+0.03−0.02+0.073,134n/aPost-communist Europe
    KosovoAchievement−0.06−0.16+0.03806n/aPost-communist Europe
    KosovoPower−0.07−0.16+0.02807n/aPost-communist Europe
    KosovoSecurity+0.10+0.01+0.19804n/aPost-communist Europe
    KosovoConformity+0.04−0.06+0.13802n/aPost-communist Europe
    KosovoTradition+0.06−0.04+0.15808n/aPost-communist Europe
    KosovoBenevolence+0.02−0.07+0.11807n/aPost-communist Europe
    KosovoUniversalism+0.01−0.08+0.11808n/aPost-communist Europe
    KosovoSelf-direction+0.06−0.03+0.15806n/aPost-communist Europe
    KosovoStimulation+0.01−0.08+0.11801n/aPost-communist Europe
    KosovoHedonism−0.11−0.20−0.01804n/aPost-communist Europe
    RussiaAchievement+0.030.00+0.067,967n/aPost-communist Europe
    RussiaPower+0.01−0.02+0.047,982n/aPost-communist Europe
    RussiaSecurity−0.03−0.060.007,982n/aPost-communist Europe
    RussiaConformity−0.04−0.07−0.017,969n/aPost-communist Europe
    RussiaTradition−0.03−0.050.007,985n/aPost-communist Europe
    RussiaBenevolence+0.01−0.02+0.037,975n/aPost-communist Europe
    RussiaUniversalism−0.07−0.09−0.047,992n/aPost-communist Europe
    RussiaSelf-direction+0.01−0.02+0.037,986n/aPost-communist Europe
    RussiaStimulation+0.04+0.01+0.077,962n/aPost-communist Europe
    RussiaHedonism+0.06+0.03+0.087,962n/aPost-communist Europe
    RomaniaAchievement+0.03−0.03+0.091,463n/aPost-communist Europe
    RomaniaPower+0.05−0.01+0.111,462n/aPost-communist Europe
    RomaniaSecurity−0.04−0.10+0.021,463n/aPost-communist Europe
    RomaniaConformity+0.01−0.04+0.071,463n/aPost-communist Europe
    RomaniaTradition−0.09−0.15−0.041,464n/aPost-communist Europe
    RomaniaBenevolence−0.06−0.12−0.011,462n/aPost-communist Europe
    RomaniaUniversalism−0.06−0.110.001,464n/aPost-communist Europe
    RomaniaSelf-direction+0.04−0.02+0.101,464n/aPost-communist Europe
    RomaniaStimulation+0.050.00+0.111,463n/aPost-communist Europe
    RomaniaHedonism+0.04−0.02+0.101,463n/aPost-communist Europe
    AlbaniaAchievement+0.01−0.07+0.101,031n/aPost-communist Europe
    AlbaniaPower−0.05−0.13+0.041,040n/aPost-communist Europe
    AlbaniaSecurity−0.05−0.13+0.041,037n/aPost-communist Europe
    AlbaniaConformity−0.02−0.11+0.061,035n/aPost-communist Europe
    AlbaniaTradition+0.06−0.02+0.151,039n/aPost-communist Europe
    AlbaniaBenevolence+0.02−0.06+0.111,034n/aPost-communist Europe
    AlbaniaUniversalism+0.06−0.03+0.141,041n/aPost-communist Europe
    AlbaniaSelf-direction−0.05−0.13+0.031,035n/aPost-communist Europe
    AlbaniaStimulation+0.04−0.04+0.131,022n/aPost-communist Europe
    AlbaniaHedonism−0.01−0.09+0.081,032n/aPost-communist Europe
    EstoniaAchievement−0.01−0.02+0.0115,020n/aPost-communist Europe
    EstoniaPower−0.01−0.02+0.0115,027n/aPost-communist Europe
    EstoniaSecurity−0.06−0.08−0.0515,026n/aPost-communist Europe
    EstoniaConformity−0.02−0.04−0.0115,020n/aPost-communist Europe
    EstoniaTradition−0.05−0.06−0.0315,028n/aPost-communist Europe
    EstoniaBenevolence+0.020.00+0.0315,024n/aPost-communist Europe
    EstoniaUniversalism−0.05−0.07−0.0315,033n/aPost-communist Europe
    EstoniaSelf-direction+0.06+0.04+0.0715,025n/aPost-communist Europe
    EstoniaStimulation+0.06+0.04+0.0815,015n/aPost-communist Europe
    EstoniaHedonism+0.07+0.05+0.0915,016n/aPost-communist Europe
    SlovakiaAchievement+0.10+0.08+0.1210,981n/aPost-communist Europe
    SlovakiaPower+0.08+0.06+0.1110,980n/aPost-communist Europe
    SlovakiaSecurity−0.12−0.14−0.1010,989n/aPost-communist Europe
    SlovakiaConformity−0.13−0.15−0.1010,973n/aPost-communist Europe
    SlovakiaTradition−0.14−0.16−0.1210,982n/aPost-communist Europe
    SlovakiaBenevolence−0.04−0.06−0.0110,975n/aPost-communist Europe
    SlovakiaUniversalism−0.06−0.09−0.0410,993n/aPost-communist Europe
    SlovakiaSelf-direction+0.09+0.07+0.1110,988n/aPost-communist Europe
    SlovakiaStimulation+0.12+0.09+0.1410,979n/aPost-communist Europe
    SlovakiaHedonism+0.08+0.06+0.1110,977n/aPost-communist Europe
    CzechiaAchievement+0.12+0.10+0.1417,119n/aPost-communist Europe
    CzechiaPower+0.09+0.07+0.1117,142n/aPost-communist Europe
    CzechiaSecurity−0.16−0.17−0.1417,139n/aPost-communist Europe
    CzechiaConformity−0.16−0.18−0.1517,122n/aPost-communist Europe
    CzechiaTradition−0.15−0.17−0.1317,130n/aPost-communist Europe
    CzechiaBenevolence−0.06−0.08−0.0417,135n/aPost-communist Europe
    CzechiaUniversalism−0.11−0.13−0.1017,162n/aPost-communist Europe
    CzechiaSelf-direction+0.13+0.12+0.1517,060n/aPost-communist Europe
    CzechiaStimulation+0.16+0.14+0.1817,117n/aPost-communist Europe
    CzechiaHedonism+0.13+0.11+0.1417,116n/aPost-communist Europe
    BulgariaAchievement+0.09+0.06+0.1111,580n/aPost-communist Europe
    BulgariaPower+0.14+0.12+0.1611,602n/aPost-communist Europe
    BulgariaSecurity−0.17−0.19−0.1511,607n/aPost-communist Europe
    BulgariaConformity−0.17−0.20−0.1511,578n/aPost-communist Europe
    BulgariaTradition−0.21−0.23−0.1811,615n/aPost-communist Europe
    BulgariaBenevolence−0.09−0.11−0.0611,590n/aPost-communist Europe
    BulgariaUniversalism−0.15−0.18−0.1311,618n/aPost-communist Europe
    BulgariaSelf-direction+0.15+0.13+0.1711,581n/aPost-communist Europe
    BulgariaStimulation+0.18+0.16+0.2011,560n/aPost-communist Europe
    BulgariaHedonism+0.17+0.15+0.1911,563n/aPost-communist Europe
    TurkeyAchievement−0.01−0.05+0.033,449n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    TurkeyPower+0.05+0.01+0.093,462n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    TurkeySecurity+0.08+0.04+0.123,454n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    TurkeyConformity+0.12+0.08+0.163,450n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    TurkeyTradition+0.12+0.08+0.163,457n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    TurkeyBenevolence+0.07+0.03+0.103,460n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    TurkeyUniversalism−0.04−0.080.003,466n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    TurkeySelf-direction−0.06−0.09−0.023,446n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    TurkeyStimulation−0.11−0.15−0.073,449n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    TurkeyHedonism−0.12−0.16−0.083,445n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    IsraelAchievement+0.01−0.01+0.0313,802n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    IsraelPower−0.03−0.05−0.0113,829n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    IsraelSecurity+0.07+0.05+0.0913,814n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    IsraelConformity0.00−0.02+0.0213,795n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    IsraelTradition+0.14+0.12+0.1613,806n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    IsraelBenevolence+0.01−0.01+0.0313,768n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    IsraelUniversalism−0.15−0.17−0.1313,832n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    IsraelSelf-direction−0.03−0.05−0.0113,824n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    IsraelStimulation0.00−0.02+0.0213,792n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    IsraelHedonism0.00−0.02+0.0213,779n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    CyprusAchievement+0.04+0.01+0.084,629n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    CyprusPower+0.01−0.02+0.054,636n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    CyprusSecurity0.00−0.03+0.044,636n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    CyprusConformity0.00−0.03+0.044,624n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    CyprusTradition−0.02−0.06+0.014,634n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    CyprusBenevolence−0.07−0.10−0.034,635n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    CyprusUniversalism−0.05−0.08−0.014,634n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    CyprusSelf-direction−0.01−0.05+0.024,632n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    CyprusStimulation+0.01−0.02+0.054,630n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    CyprusHedonism+0.05+0.01+0.084,632n/aCyprus, Israel, Turkey
    The Western mean row and the Western countries repeat teal for conformity, tradition and power and brown for universalism and benevolence, while post-communist rows differ: Bulgaria, Czechia and Slovakia have brown conservation cells and Croatia, Poland and Slovenia teal ones. Teal cells are values that people further right rate as more important and brown cells are values that people further left rate as more important. Columns follow the value circle, so the values predicted to lean right come first, then the values predicted to lean left, then hedonism, which has no predicted side. Rows are ordered within each group by the alignment score. Switch the view for the Western countries or for all countries.Note: Every country cell rests on an effective sample of at least 300 respondents. Hover for the interval and the sample size.Note: The Western mean row is the mean of the 18 Western country correlations, with a 95% interval from resampling countries.Source: European Social Survey, rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024; weighted (analysis weight within each country, every country counted once across countries)

    Take the conservation values. In Croatia the conservation loading is +0.16 (95% CI 0.13 to 0.18)+0.16 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandweighted correlation of left-right with ConservationInterval95% CI 0.13 to 0.18n6,692WeightsESS analysis weight within the countryPopulationrespondents in Croatia with a left-right answerPeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024SourceEuropean Social Survey, in Slovenia +0.14+0.14 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandweighted correlation of left-right with ConservationInterval95% CI 0.12 to 0.15n11,293WeightsESS analysis weight within the countryPopulationrespondents in Slovenia with a left-right answerPeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024SourceEuropean Social Survey and in Poland +0.12+0.12 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandweighted correlation of left-right with ConservationInterval95% CI 0.10 to 0.14n14,207WeightsESS analysis weight within the countryPopulationrespondents in Poland with a left-right answerPeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024SourceEuropean Social Survey, so the values lean right, as in Western Europe, where the mean is +0.14+0.14 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with higher-order axis Conservation (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 0.11 to 0.16WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey. In Bulgaria the loading is −0.24−0.24 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandweighted correlation of left-right with ConservationInterval95% CI −0.26 to −0.22n11,629WeightsESS analysis weight within the countryPopulationrespondents in Bulgaria with a left-right answerPeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024SourceEuropean Social Survey, in Czechia −0.22−0.22 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandweighted correlation of left-right with ConservationInterval95% CI −0.23 to −0.20n17,177WeightsESS analysis weight within the countryPopulationrespondents in Czechia with a left-right answerPeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024SourceEuropean Social Survey and in Slovakia −0.18−0.18 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandweighted correlation of left-right with ConservationInterval95% CI −0.20 to −0.15n10,996WeightsESS analysis weight within the countryPopulationrespondents in Slovakia with a left-right answerPeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024SourceEuropean Social Survey, so the values lean left, and people who give more weight to conformity, tradition and security place themselves further left than other people in the same country. In each of these countries the interval excludes zero. Figure 4 shows all 1818 countriesEstimandcount of countries in the group, fixed by historyWeightsnone (count)Populationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey countries. The interval is on the predicted side in 44 countriesEstimandcount of countries with the 95% interval on the predicted side for ConservationWeightsnone (count)Populationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey, includes zero in 77 countriesEstimandcount of countries with the 95% interval including zero for ConservationWeightsnone (count)Populationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey and is on the opposite side in 77 countriesEstimandcount of countries with the 95% interval on the opposite side of the predicted one for ConservationWeightsnone (count)Populationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey.

    Figure 4

    By the 95% interval, conservation values go with the right in 4 post-communist countries and with the left in 7

    Correlation between conservation values (conformity, tradition and security) and left-right self-placement, by post-communist country, with the Western and post-communist means; 95% intervals; ESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024

    • Western mean
    • Post-communist mean
    • Interval above zero (leans right)
    • Interval includes zero
    • Interval below zero (leans left)

    Correlation of conservation values with left-right (negative: rated higher further left; positive: further right)

    Show data
    Data for By the 95% interval, conservation values go with the right in 4 post-communist countries and with the left in 7
    conf_highconf_lowestimategrouplabelmetricn_units
    0.1610.1110.135Western meanWestern meanConservation18
    0.027−0.073−0.020Post-communist meanPost-communist meanConservation18
    0.1840.1310.158Interval above zero (leans right)CroatiaConservationn/a
    0.1540.1170.136Interval above zero (leans right)SloveniaConservationn/a
    0.1360.1020.119Interval above zero (leans right)PolandConservationn/a
    0.1870.0040.096Interval above zero (leans right)KosovoConservationn/a
    0.084−0.0130.036Interval includes zeroMontenegroConservationn/a
    0.060−0.0380.011Interval includes zeroSerbiaConservationn/a
    0.034−0.0190.008Interval includes zeroLithuaniaConservationn/a
    0.086−0.0820.002Interval includes zeroAlbaniaConservationn/a
    0.007−0.030−0.011Interval includes zeroHungaryConservationn/a
    0.079−0.115−0.019Interval includes zeroNorth MacedoniaConservationn/a
    0.005−0.079−0.037Interval includes zeroLatviaConservationn/a
    −0.015−0.072−0.043Interval below zero (leans left)RussiaConservationn/a
    −0.029−0.089−0.059Interval below zero (leans left)UkraineConservationn/a
    −0.002−0.118−0.061Interval below zero (leans left)RomaniaConservationn/a
    −0.047−0.080−0.063Interval below zero (leans left)EstoniaConservationn/a
    −0.153−0.198−0.176Interval below zero (leans left)SlovakiaConservationn/a
    −0.201−0.235−0.218Interval below zero (leans left)CzechiaConservationn/a
    −0.220−0.262−0.241Interval below zero (leans left)BulgariaConservationn/a
    −0.162−0.224−0.193Western meanWestern meanUniversalism18
    −0.024−0.071−0.049Post-communist meanPost-communist meanUniversalism18
    −0.133−0.176−0.155Interval below zero (leans left)BulgariaUniversalismn/a
    −0.096−0.131−0.114Interval below zero (leans left)CzechiaUniversalismn/a
    −0.079−0.117−0.098Interval below zero (leans left)SloveniaUniversalismn/a
    −0.055−0.091−0.073Interval below zero (leans left)HungaryUniversalismn/a
    −0.038−0.094−0.066Interval below zero (leans left)RussiaUniversalismn/a
    −0.017−0.115−0.066Interval below zero (leans left)SerbiaUniversalismn/a
    −0.035−0.095−0.065Interval below zero (leans left)UkraineUniversalismn/a
    −0.037−0.091−0.064Interval below zero (leans left)CroatiaUniversalismn/a
    −0.040−0.086−0.063Interval below zero (leans left)SlovakiaUniversalismn/a
    0.002−0.114−0.056Interval includes zeroRomaniaUniversalismn/a
    −0.010−0.095−0.053Interval below zero (leans left)LatviaUniversalismn/a
    −0.035−0.068−0.051Interval below zero (leans left)EstoniaUniversalismn/a
    0.069−0.125−0.028Interval includes zeroNorth MacedoniaUniversalismn/a
    0.003−0.051−0.024Interval includes zeroLithuaniaUniversalismn/a
    −0.001−0.035−0.018Interval below zero (leans left)PolandUniversalismn/a
    0.105−0.0800.013Interval includes zeroKosovoUniversalismn/a
    0.092−0.0050.044Interval includes zeroMontenegroUniversalismn/a
    0.142−0.0260.059Interval includes zeroAlbaniaUniversalismn/a
    0.0940.0740.084Western meanWestern meanAlignment18
    0.015−0.0160.000Post-communist meanPost-communist meanAlignment18
    0.0770.0570.067Interval above zero (predicted sides)CroatiaAlignmentn/a
    0.0700.0530.062Interval above zero (predicted sides)SloveniaAlignmentn/a
    0.0530.0400.047Interval above zero (predicted sides)PolandAlignmentn/a
    0.030−0.0100.010Interval includes zeroMontenegroAlignmentn/a
    0.0160.0040.010Interval above zero (predicted sides)HungaryAlignmentn/a
    0.018−0.0040.007Interval includes zeroUkraineAlignmentn/a
    0.027−0.0160.006Interval includes zeroSerbiaAlignmentn/a
    0.016−0.0080.004Interval includes zeroLithuaniaAlignmentn/a
    0.040−0.0320.002Interval includes zeroNorth MacedoniaAlignmentn/a
    0.016−0.018−0.002Interval includes zeroLatviaAlignmentn/a
    0.046−0.042−0.003Interval includes zeroKosovoAlignmentn/a
    0.007−0.014−0.004Interval includes zeroRussiaAlignmentn/a
    0.016−0.034−0.010Interval includes zeroRomaniaAlignmentn/a
    0.016−0.040−0.011Interval includes zeroAlbaniaAlignmentn/a
    −0.019−0.034−0.026Interval below zero (opposite sides)EstoniaAlignmentn/a
    −0.035−0.052−0.044Interval below zero (opposite sides)SlovakiaAlignmentn/a
    −0.048−0.062−0.055Interval below zero (opposite sides)CzechiaAlignmentn/a
    −0.054−0.071−0.062Interval below zero (opposite sides)BulgariaAlignmentn/a
    Croatia, Slovenia and Poland lie on the same side of zero as the Western mean (+0.14), Bulgaria, Czechia and Slovakia lie on the other side, and the post-communist mean (−0.02) averages countries with opposite signs. Dots to the right of zero are countries where people further right rate conservation values as more important. Colors mark where each 95% interval falls: above zero in 4 countries, including zero in 7 and below zero in 7. Switch the view for universalism or for the alignment score.Note: The two mean rows are means of country correlations with a 95% interval from resampling countries; country rows use the Fisher z interval on the effective sample size.Note: Country cells need an effective sample of 300 respondents or more.Source: European Social Survey, rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024; weighted (analysis weight within each country, every country counted once across countries)

    The post-communist mean in the top rows of the figure is −0.02 (95% CI −0.07 to 0.03)−0.02 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with higher-order axis Conservation (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI −0.07 to 0.03WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey, which by itself reads as no link. That mean averages countries with opposite signs. The standard deviationStandard deviationA measure of how far values typically fall from their average. A larger standard deviation means the values are more spread out. of the country loadings is 0.110.11 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandstandard deviation across countries of the loading of left-right on higher-order axis ConservationWeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey in post-communist Europe against 0.060.06 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandstandard deviation across countries of the loading of left-right on higher-order axis ConservationWeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey in Western Europe, so a single figure for post-communist Europe hides the spread that the countries show.

    Universalism holds up better than conservation. It is on its predicted side in 1515 countriesEstimandcount of countries with the point estimate on the predicted side for UniversalismWeightsnone (count)Populationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey of the 1818 countriesEstimandcount of countries in the group, fixed by historyWeightsnone (count)Populationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey post-communist countries, has an interval on that side in 1212 countriesEstimandcount of countries with the 95% interval on the predicted side for UniversalismWeightsnone (count)Populationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey and has an interval on the opposite side in 00 countriesEstimandcount of countries with the 95% interval on the opposite side of the predicted one for UniversalismWeightsnone (count)Populationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey (Figure 4, universalism view).

    The alignment score gives one number per country. It averages the loadings of the eight values that have a predicted side and are measured in both surveys, each multiplied by a sign that is positive for a value predicted to lean right and negative for a value predicted to lean left, so that a positive score means the values sit on their predicted sides. Hedonism has no predicted side and is left out, and so is benevolence, which the WVS asked in too few places. The Western mean of the score is +0.08 (95% CI 0.07 to 0.09)+0.08 average signed loading (alignment), in correlation unitsEstimandmean across countries of the alignment score (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 0.07 to 0.09WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey, and the interval is above zero in all 1818 countriesEstimandcount of countries whose alignment interval is above zeroWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey Western countries. In post-communist Europe the interval is above zero in 44 countriesEstimandcount of countries whose alignment interval is above zeroWeightsnone (count)Populationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey countries (Croatia, Slovenia, Poland and Hungary), includes zero in 1010 countriesEstimandcount of countries whose alignment interval is including zeroWeightsnone (count)Populationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey and is below zero in 44 countriesEstimandcount of countries whose alignment interval is below zeroWeightsnone (count)Populationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey (Bulgaria, Czechia, Slovakia and Estonia). Hungary's score is +0.010 (95% CI 0.004 to 0.016)+0.010 average signed loading (alignment), in correlation unitsEstimandalignment score: mean of predicted sign x weighted correlation of left-right with eight values (respondent bootstrap)Interval95% CI 0.004 to 0.016n15,197WeightsESS analysis weight within the countryPopulationrespondents in Hungary with a left-right answerPeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024SourceEuropean Social Survey, so the lower end of its interval is close to zero.

    Earlier work found the same division. In the first ESS round values explained little of left-right in post-communist countries [3], and a study of Western and former communist countries in two later rounds found that conservatism, measured through values, could go with the left or the right depending on the cultural, political and economic situation of a society [8].

    The country mean of the centred conservation score is higher in post-communist Europe (0.21 (95% CI 0.18 to 0.24)0.21 points on the value scale (1 to 6 scale, centred on each respondent's mean rating)Estimandmean across countries of the country mean of the centred conservation score (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 0.18 to 0.24WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey) than in Western Europe (0.020.02 points on the value scale (1 to 6 scale, centred on each respondent's mean rating)Estimandmean across countries of the country mean of the centred conservation score (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI −0.04 to 0.08WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey), so post-communist publics rate conservation values higher. Across all 3939 countriesEstimandcount of countriesWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries in the ESS human-values samplePeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey ESS countries the country mean and the conservation loading correlate at −0.43 (95% CI −0.65 to −0.13)−0.43 correlation across countries, from −1 to +1EstimandPearson correlation across countries of the country mean of the centred conservation score and the conservation loading (Fisher z interval on the number of countries)Interval95% CI −0.65 to −0.13WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries in the ESS human-values samplePeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey. Inside Western Europe the correlation is −0.06−0.06 correlation across countries, from −1 to +1EstimandPearson correlation across the countries of the group of the country mean of the centred conservation score and the conservation loading (Fisher z interval on the number of countries)Interval95% CI −0.51 to 0.42WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey and inside post-communist Europe +0.03+0.03 correlation across countries, from −1 to +1EstimandPearson correlation across the countries of the group of the country mean of the centred conservation score and the conservation loading (Fisher z interval on the number of countries)Interval95% CI −0.44 to 0.49WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey, both close to zero, but each interval includes the correlation across all countries, so with only 1818 countriesEstimandcount of countries in the group, fixed by geography and historyWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey countries per group the data cannot rule out a link of that size inside a group.A comparison of country means assumes that respondents in different countries read the items in the same way. A test on the first ESS round found that the means of the value scale can be compared only across subsets of countries [9], and this chapter does not repeat the test. Chapter 8.2, Countries in value space (planned) places countries by their values.

    One account of why the left-right label attaches differently is that leftist parties in post-communist governments had stronger incentives than rightist parties to hold spending down, so economic left and right did not mean what they meant in the West [10]. The chapter does not test this account. Chapter 7.4, Left and right across countries shows which attitudes the left-right scale tracks in each country.

    The WVS asked one short portrait per value in the fifth and sixth waves, fielded from 2005 to 2016, such as "It is important to this person to be rich" for power. Each value rests on a single item, with universalism measured by an item on looking after the environment and benevolence by an item on helping people nearby. The items are centred on each respondent's mean rating of the items that every respondent in the sample answered, which are all except benevolence. The sample is 113,253113,253 respondentsEstimandcount of respondents in the countries that are estimated (an effective sample of 300 or more)Weightsnone (count)PopulationWVS respondents with a left-right answer and all nine core value items in the countries with an alignment scorePeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS respondents with a left-right answer in 7171 countries and territoriesEstimandcount of countries and territoriesWeightsnone (count)PopulationWVS countries with an alignment scorePeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS countries and territories.The WVS carries a ten-item battery inspired by Schwartz's questionnaire [11]. The cleaned file holds the items for the fifth and sixth waves and for no other wave, including the seventh. The two waves have 7373 countries and territoriesEstimandcount of countries and territoriesWeightsnone (count)PopulationWVS countries with the value items and a left-right answerPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS countries and territories in the sample, and Jordan and Yemen, with 555555 respondentsEstimandcount of respondents with a left-right answer and all nine core value items in the countries that are droppedWeightsnone (count)PopulationWVS respondents in countries whose effective sample is below the floorPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS respondents between them, fall below the effective-sample floor and are dropped. No respondent answered the benevolence item in 1313 countries and territoriesEstimandcount of countries and territories in which no respondent answered the benevolence itemWeightsnone (count)PopulationWVS countries with the value items and a left-right answerPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS countries and territories, and a subsample answered it in 2020 countries and territoriesEstimandcount of countries and territories in which under 90% of respondents answered the benevolence itemWeightsnone (count)PopulationWVS countries with the value items and a left-right answerPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS, which is why the alignment score leaves benevolence out.

    Countries are grouped into thirds by the Human Development IndexHuman Development IndexA country score from 0 to 1 that combines life expectancy, years of schooling and income per person, published by the United Nations Development Programme. Higher scores mean higher human development. (HDI), a country score that uses no answer from the survey, so the grouping does not depend on how values and left-right relate. The WVS country file has one HDI value per country and no year, and the fieldwork spans 2005 to 2016. The cut points between the thirds are 0.740.74 Human Development Index, from 0 to 1Estimandupper bound of the lowest third of countries by the indexWeightsnone (cut point)PopulationWVS countries with an alignment score and a Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS and 0.830.83 Human Development Index, from 0 to 1Estimandupper bound of the middle third of countries by the index (countries above it are in the highest third)Weightsnone (cut point)PopulationWVS countries with an alignment score and a Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS. Figure 5 gives the mean loading of each item, first by third of countries and then for all countries. Across all countries tradition is at +0.06 (95% CI 0.04 to 0.08)+0.06 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with the tradition item (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 0.04 to 0.08WeightsWVS weight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries in the WVS value samplePeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS and the environment item at −0.03−0.03 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with the universalism item (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI −0.05 to −0.01WeightsWVS weight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries in the WVS value samplePeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS, both on their predicted sides and small, while security and achievement have intervals that include zero. Counted by country, tradition has the predicted sign in 5656 countriesEstimandcount of countries with the point estimate on the predicted side for the tradition itemWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries in the WVS value samplePeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS of 7171 countries and territoriesEstimandcount of countries and territories in which the tradition item is estimatedWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries in the WVS value samplePeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS countries, the environment item in 4444 countriesEstimandcount of countries with the point estimate on the predicted side for the universalism itemWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries in the WVS value samplePeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS and security in 3333 countriesEstimandcount of countries with the point estimate on the predicted side for the security itemWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries in the WVS value samplePeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS. The counts for every item are in the data table of the figure.

    Figure 5

    The mean correlation has the predicted sign for all 9 items with a predicted side in the highest-HDI third of countries and for 4 of them in the lowest third

    Mean across countries of the correlation between each value item and left-right self-placement (0 = left, 10 = right), by third of countries on the Human Development Index (HDI); items centred on each respondent's mean rating; WVS waves 5 and 6, 2005-2016; 95% intervals from resampling countries

    • Interval above zero (leans right)
    • Interval includes zero
    • Interval below zero (leans left)

    Highest third by HDI

    Middle third by HDI

    Lowest third by HDI

    Mean correlation with left-right (negative: further left)

    Show data
    Data for The mean correlation has the predicted sign for all 9 items with a predicted side in the highest-HDI third of countries and for 4 of them in the lowest third
    ItemItem wordingCountriesCodingMean correlationInterval lowInterval highCountries in the meanCountries on the predicted sideCountries with the interval on the predicted side
    Conformity (behaving well)It is important to this person to always behave properlyHighest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean+0.06+0.04+0.08231915
    TraditionTradition is important to this personHighest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean+0.12+0.09+0.15232318
    Security (safety)It is important to this person to live in secure surroundingsHighest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean+0.030.00+0.0523157
    Power (wealth)It is important to this person to be richHighest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean+0.05+0.02+0.0723169
    Achievement (success)It is important to this person to be very successfulHighest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean0.00−0.02+0.0223113
    Hedonism (good time)It is important to this person to have a good timeHighest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean−0.05−0.06−0.0423n/an/a
    Stimulation (adventure)It is important to this person to seek adventure and take risksHighest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean−0.05−0.08−0.03232011
    Self-direction (new ideas)It is important to this person to think up new ideas and be creativeHighest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean−0.08−0.10−0.05232214
    Universalism (environment)It is important to this person to look after the environmentHighest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean−0.10−0.14−0.07232015
    Benevolence (helping others)It is important to this person to help the people nearbyHighest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean−0.07−0.09−0.04211711
    Conformity (behaving well)It is important to this person to always behave properlyMiddle third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean−0.01−0.04+0.0223134
    TraditionTradition is important to this personMiddle third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean+0.02−0.01+0.0523158
    Security (safety)It is important to this person to live in secure surroundingsMiddle third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean−0.02−0.05+0.0123112
    Power (wealth)It is important to this person to be richMiddle third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean+0.020.00+0.0323144
    Achievement (success)It is important to this person to be very successfulMiddle third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean+0.020.00+0.0323173
    Hedonism (good time)It is important to this person to have a good timeMiddle third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean+0.01−0.02+0.0423n/an/a
    Stimulation (adventure)It is important to this person to seek adventure and take risksMiddle third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean0.00−0.03+0.0223128
    Self-direction (new ideas)It is important to this person to think up new ideas and be creativeMiddle third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean−0.01−0.04+0.0123127
    Universalism (environment)It is important to this person to look after the environmentMiddle third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean−0.02−0.050.0023175
    Benevolence (helping others)It is important to this person to help the people nearbyMiddle third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean−0.04−0.07−0.0217145
    Conformity (behaving well)It is important to this person to always behave properlyLowest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean+0.01−0.02+0.0424124
    TraditionTradition is important to this personLowest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean+0.04+0.01+0.0724178
    Security (safety)It is important to this person to live in secure surroundingsLowest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean−0.02−0.050.002462
    Power (wealth)It is important to this person to be richLowest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean0.00−0.03+0.0224104
    Achievement (success)It is important to this person to be very successfulLowest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean−0.02−0.050.0024112
    Hedonism (good time)It is important to this person to have a good timeLowest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean−0.02−0.04+0.0124n/an/a
    Stimulation (adventure)It is important to this person to seek adventure and take risksLowest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean−0.01−0.04+0.0224146
    Self-direction (new ideas)It is important to this person to think up new ideas and be creativeLowest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean0.00−0.02+0.0324104
    Universalism (environment)It is important to this person to look after the environmentLowest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean+0.04+0.01+0.062471
    Benevolence (helping others)It is important to this person to help the people nearbyLowest third by HDICentred on the respondent's mean0.00−0.03+0.0319115
    Conformity (behaving well)It is important to this person to always behave properlyAll countriesCentred on the respondent's mean+0.020.00+0.04714524
    TraditionTradition is important to this personAll countriesCentred on the respondent's mean+0.06+0.04+0.08715635
    Security (safety)It is important to this person to live in secure surroundingsAll countriesCentred on the respondent's mean−0.01−0.02+0.01713312
    Power (wealth)It is important to this person to be richAll countriesCentred on the respondent's mean+0.02+0.01+0.03714117
    Achievement (success)It is important to this person to be very successfulAll countriesCentred on the respondent's mean0.00−0.01+0.0171398
    Hedonism (good time)It is important to this person to have a good timeAll countriesCentred on the respondent's mean−0.02−0.04−0.0171n/an/a
    Stimulation (adventure)It is important to this person to seek adventure and take risksAll countriesCentred on the respondent's mean−0.02−0.04−0.01714726
    Self-direction (new ideas)It is important to this person to think up new ideas and be creativeAll countriesCentred on the respondent's mean−0.03−0.04−0.01714526
    Universalism (environment)It is important to this person to look after the environmentAll countriesCentred on the respondent's mean−0.03−0.05−0.01714421
    Benevolence (helping others)It is important to this person to help the people nearbyAll countriesCentred on the respondent's mean−0.04−0.05−0.02584221
    Conformity (behaving well)It is important to this person to always behave properlyAll countriesUncentred items+0.05+0.03+0.07715228
    TraditionTradition is important to this personAll countriesUncentred items+0.08+0.06+0.10715941
    Security (safety)It is important to this person to live in secure surroundingsAll countriesUncentred items+0.03+0.01+0.04714920
    Power (wealth)It is important to this person to be richAll countriesUncentred items+0.05+0.03+0.06715326
    Achievement (success)It is important to this person to be very successfulAll countriesUncentred items+0.03+0.01+0.04714420
    Hedonism (good time)It is important to this person to have a good timeAll countriesUncentred items+0.01−0.01+0.0371n/an/a
    Stimulation (adventure)It is important to this person to seek adventure and take risksAll countriesUncentred items0.00−0.01+0.02713417
    Self-direction (new ideas)It is important to this person to think up new ideas and be creativeAll countriesUncentred items0.00−0.02+0.02713617
    Universalism (environment)It is important to this person to look after the environmentAll countriesUncentred items+0.01−0.01+0.03713215
    Benevolence (helping others)It is important to this person to help the people nearbyAll countriesUncentred items0.00−0.02+0.01583210
    In the highest third of countries every item with a predicted side has its mean on the predicted side of zero and most intervals lie away from zero; in the middle third the means are small; and in the lowest third most intervals include zero and the environment item leans right (+0.04), opposite to its predicted side. Each panel covers the highest, middle or lowest third of countries ranked by the HDI, each dot is the mean across countries of the within-country correlation between one item and left-right, and each line is a 95% interval. Teal dots have an interval above zero, brown dots an interval below zero and grey dots an interval that includes zero. Items run from those predicted to lean right, through hedonism, which has no predicted side, to those predicted to lean left. Universalism is measured by the environment item and benevolence by helping people nearby, which was asked in fewer countries.Note: Each estimate is the mean of country correlations, every country counted once. Countries without a Human Development Index value (Taiwan) are in the all-countries and uncentred views only.Note: Benevolence is estimated in fewer countries: no respondent answered the item in 13 countries and territories, and a subsample answered it in 20.Note: Item labels are short forms; the wording of each item is in the data table. In a tooltip, n is the number of countries in the mean.Note: Country cells need an effective sample of 300 respondents or more.Source: World Values Survey, waves 5 and 6, 2005-2016; weighted (S017 within each country, every country counted once across countries)

    The averages hide large differences between thirds. In the highest-HDI third every item with a predicted side has the predicted sign, with tradition at +0.12 (95% CI 0.09 to 0.15)+0.12 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with the tradition item (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 0.09 to 0.15WeightsWVS weight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries in the highest third of the Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS and the environment item at −0.10−0.10 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with the universalism item (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI −0.14 to −0.07WeightsWVS weight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries in the highest third of the Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS, and security and achievement are closest to zero. In the lowest third most intervals include zero, while the environment item leans right at +0.04+0.04 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with the universalism item (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 0.01 to 0.06WeightsWVS weight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries in the lowest third of the Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS and security leans left at −0.025−0.025 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with the security item (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI −0.046 to −0.004WeightsWVS weight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries in the lowest third of the Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS, the opposite of their predicted sides. Without centring, tradition rises from +0.06+0.06 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with the tradition item (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 0.04 to 0.08WeightsWVS weight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries in the WVS value samplePeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS to +0.08+0.08 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with the tradition item, not centred (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 0.06 to 0.10WeightsWVS weight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries in the WVS value samplePeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS across all countries and the environment item from −0.03−0.03 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with the universalism item (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI −0.05 to −0.01WeightsWVS weight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries in the WVS value samplePeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS to +0.01+0.01 correlation coefficient (loading), from −1 to +1Estimandmean across countries of the within-country weighted correlation of left-right with the universalism item, not centred (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI −0.01 to 0.03WeightsWVS weight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries in the WVS value samplePeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS (Figure 5, uncentred view), because a respondent who rates every item as important adds to every loading. Only the centred version tests relative priorities.

    The alignment score condenses the items into one number per country. Its interval is above zero in 3030 countriesEstimandcount of countries whose alignment interval is above zeroWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries in the WVS value samplePeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS of 7171 countries and territoriesEstimandcount of countries and territoriesWeightsnone (count)PopulationWVS countries with an alignment scorePeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS countries, includes zero in 3232 countriesEstimandcount of countries whose alignment interval is including zeroWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries in the WVS value samplePeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS and is below zero in 99 countriesEstimandcount of countries whose alignment interval is below zeroWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries in the WVS value samplePeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS (Figure 6). The score is +0.08 (95% CI 0.06 to 0.10)+0.08 average signed loading (alignment), in correlation unitsEstimandalignment score: mean of predicted sign x weighted correlation of left-right with eight items, centred on the respondent's mean (respondent bootstrap)Interval95% CI 0.06 to 0.10n3,250WeightsWVS weight within the countryPopulationrespondents in United States with a left-right answerPeriodWVS fieldwork 2006, 2011SourceWorld Values Survey and EVS in the United States and +0.07+0.07 average signed loading (alignment), in correlation unitsEstimandalignment score: mean of predicted sign x weighted correlation of left-right with eight items, centred on the respondent's mean (respondent bootstrap)Interval95% CI 0.05 to 0.08n2,237WeightsWVS weight within the countryPopulationrespondents in Japan with a left-right answerPeriodWVS fieldwork 2005, 2010SourceWorld Values Survey and EVS in Japan, so values sit on their predicted sides there. It is −0.05−0.05 average signed loading (alignment), in correlation unitsEstimandalignment score: mean of predicted sign x weighted correlation of left-right with eight items, centred on the respondent's mean (respondent bootstrap)Interval95% CI −0.07 to −0.03n1,300WeightsWVS weight within the countryPopulationrespondents in Malaysia with a left-right answerPeriodWVS fieldwork 2012SourceWorld Values Survey and EVS in Malaysia and −0.04−0.04 average signed loading (alignment), in correlation unitsEstimandalignment score: mean of predicted sign x weighted correlation of left-right with eight items, centred on the respondent's mean (respondent bootstrap)Interval95% CI −0.06 to −0.03n4,209WeightsWVS weight within the countryPopulationrespondents in Egypt with a left-right answerPeriodWVS fieldwork 2008, 2013SourceWorld Values Survey and EVS in Egypt, so values sit on the opposite sides there. The interval of each of these scores excludes zero.

    Figure 6

    Values sit on their predicted sides in 30 of 71 countries and on the opposite sides in 9

    Average correlation between eight values and left-right self-placement, signed so that a positive score is the side the theory predicts; WVS waves 5 and 6, 2005-2016

    95% interval of the alignment score

    No data (170 countries)

    Select a class to show only those places.

    Hover or tap a country for its value, or search by name. Zoom with the buttons on the map, then drag to move it.

    • Dots mark countries too small to fill at this scale.
    Show data
    Data for Values sit on their predicted sides in 30 of 71 countries and on the opposite sides in 9
    CountryISO codeInterval of the scoreAlignment scoreInterval lowInterval highRespondents
    AlgeriaDZAIncludes zero+0.032−0.003+0.069496
    AndorraANDAbove zero+0.103+0.071+0.133906
    ArgentinaARGAbove zero+0.092+0.070+0.1151,438
    ArmeniaARMIncludes zero−0.010−0.041+0.022629
    AustraliaAUSAbove zero+0.082+0.063+0.1002,683
    AzerbaijanAZEIncludes zero+0.009−0.024+0.0401,001
    BelarusBLRIncludes zero−0.019−0.041+0.0031,454
    BrazilBRAAbove zero+0.031+0.016+0.0462,517
    BulgariaBGRIncludes zero−0.019−0.051+0.014634
    Burkina FasoBFAAbove zero+0.024+0.002+0.047958
    CanadaCANAbove zero+0.095+0.066+0.1201,585
    ChileCHLAbove zero+0.032+0.011+0.0551,319
    ColombiaCOLAbove zero+0.037+0.017+0.0561,238
    CyprusCYPIncludes zero+0.017−0.001+0.0351,846
    EcuadorECUIncludes zero+0.014−0.006+0.0351,140
    EgyptEGYBelow zero−0.041−0.057−0.0254,209
    EstoniaESTBelow zero−0.026−0.049−0.0021,230
    EthiopiaETHIncludes zero−0.020−0.046+0.0041,249
    FinlandFINAbove zero+0.043+0.016+0.072887
    FranceFRAAbove zero+0.052+0.022+0.078905
    GeorgiaGEOBelow zero−0.020−0.040−0.0021,594
    GermanyDEUAbove zero+0.065+0.044+0.0853,523
    GhanaGHAIncludes zero−0.001−0.018+0.0182,299
    HaitiHTIIncludes zero−0.009−0.026+0.0091,932
    Hong Kong SARHKGIncludes zero−0.009−0.031+0.015964
    HungaryHUNIncludes zero−0.006−0.028+0.017856
    IndiaINDIncludes zero+0.011−0.003+0.0223,515
    IndonesiaIDNIncludes zero+0.015−0.007+0.0361,339
    IraqIRQIncludes zero+0.010−0.019+0.037936
    JapanJPNAbove zero+0.066+0.048+0.0842,237
    KazakhstanKAZIncludes zero+0.004−0.014+0.0231,500
    KyrgyzstanKGZIncludes zero−0.010−0.028+0.0081,435
    LebanonLBNIncludes zero−0.008−0.037+0.018750
    LibyaLBYIncludes zero−0.001−0.026+0.0211,319
    MalaysiaMYSBelow zero−0.050−0.070−0.0311,300
    MaliMLIBelow zero−0.029−0.049−0.010977
    MexicoMEXAbove zero+0.022+0.010+0.0343,127
    MoldovaMDABelow zero−0.045−0.073−0.018786
    MoroccoMARIncludes zero−0.002−0.031+0.027685
    NetherlandsNLDAbove zero+0.109+0.090+0.1262,470
    New ZealandNZLAbove zero+0.110+0.069+0.150583
    NigeriaNGABelow zero−0.031−0.052−0.0101,759
    NorwayNORAbove zero+0.079+0.054+0.106991
    PakistanPAKIncludes zero−0.021−0.053+0.0081,129
    PalestinePSEIncludes zero+0.009−0.017+0.036705
    PeruPERIncludes zero+0.001−0.014+0.0162,022
    PhilippinesPHLIncludes zero0.000−0.024+0.0221,186
    PolandPOLAbove zero+0.057+0.037+0.0791,428
    RomaniaROUBelow zero−0.022−0.039−0.0061,822
    RussiaRUSIncludes zero−0.009−0.032+0.014903
    RwandaRWAIncludes zero+0.012−0.001+0.0272,456
    SerbiaSRBIncludes zero−0.023−0.050+0.003815
    SloveniaSVNAbove zero+0.053+0.031+0.0751,304
    South AfricaZAFIncludes zero−0.013−0.027+0.0015,449
    South KoreaKORAbove zero+0.088+0.065+0.1132,347
    SpainESPAbove zero+0.072+0.052+0.0902,013
    SwedenSWEAbove zero+0.083+0.062+0.1042,053
    SwitzerlandCHEAbove zero+0.109+0.084+0.1361,083
    Taiwan ROCTWNAbove zero+0.047+0.030+0.0642,308
    ThailandTHAIncludes zero0.000−0.014+0.0122,664
    Trinidad and TobagoTTOAbove zero+0.027+0.006+0.0481,177
    TunisiaTUNAbove zero+0.052+0.022+0.079667
    TurkeyTURAbove zero+0.053+0.037+0.0702,491
    UkraineUKRIncludes zero−0.016−0.032+0.0022,026
    United KingdomGBRAbove zero+0.067+0.038+0.091857
    United StatesUSAAbove zero+0.083+0.065+0.1013,250
    UruguayURYAbove zero+0.048+0.030+0.0681,663
    UzbekistanUZBBelow zero−0.033−0.064−0.002566
    VietnamVNMAbove zero+0.053+0.031+0.0771,277
    ZambiaZMBIncludes zero−0.009−0.033+0.014891
    ZimbabweZWEIncludes zero−0.012−0.037+0.0131,500
    Values sit on their predicted sides in the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and Germany, and on the opposite sides in Malaysia, Moldova, Egypt and Nigeria. Teal countries have a 95% interval of the score above zero, grey countries an interval that includes zero and brown countries an interval below zero, and the counts in the title use the same classes. The score is zero when values say nothing about left-right.Note: Jordan and Yemen have an effective sample below 300 respondents and draw as no data. China, Iran, Kuwait, Qatar and Singapore have no left-right answers with the value items.Source: World Values Survey, waves 5 and 6, 2005-2016; weighted (S017 within each country, every country counted once across countries)

    By thirds of the HDI, the interval is above zero in 1919 countriesEstimandcount of countries whose alignment interval is above zeroWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries in the highest third of the Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS of the 2323 countriesEstimandcount of countries with an alignment scoreWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries in the highest third of the Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS countries in the highest third, in 77 countriesEstimandcount of countries whose alignment interval is above zeroWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries in the middle third of the Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS of 2323 countriesEstimandcount of countries with an alignment scoreWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries in the middle third of the Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS in the middle third and in 33 countriesEstimandcount of countries whose alignment interval is above zeroWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries in the lowest third of the Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS of 2424 countriesEstimandcount of countries with an alignment scoreWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries in the lowest third of the Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS in the lowest, where it is below zero in 55 countriesEstimandcount of countries whose alignment interval is below zeroWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries in the lowest third of the Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS. Across the 7070 countries and territoriesEstimandcount of countries and territoriesWeightsnone (count)PopulationWVS countries with an alignment score and a Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS countries with an index value, the alignment score and the index correlate at +0.60 (95% CI 0.43 to 0.73)+0.60 correlation across countries, from −1 to +1EstimandPearson correlation across countries of the alignment score and the Human Development Index (Fisher z interval on the number of countries)Interval95% CI 0.43 to 0.73WeightsWVS weight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationWVS countries with an alignment score and a Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS. The WVS covers countries outside Europe, and the correlation is +0.64 (95% CI 0.42 to 0.79)+0.64 correlation across countries, from −1 to +1EstimandPearson correlation across countries of the alignment score and the Human Development Index (Fisher z interval on the number of countries)Interval95% CI 0.42 to 0.79WeightsWVS weight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationWVS countries outside the World Bank region Europe and Central Asia with an alignment score and a Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS across the 4141 countries and territoriesEstimandcount of countries and territoriesWeightsnone (count)PopulationWVS countries outside the World Bank region Europe and Central Asia with an alignment score and a Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS countries outside the World Bank region of Europe and Central Asia and +0.79 (95% CI 0.59 to 0.89)+0.79 correlation across countries, from −1 to +1EstimandPearson correlation across countries of the alignment score and the Human Development Index (Fisher z interval on the number of countries)Interval95% CI 0.59 to 0.89WeightsWVS weight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationWVS countries inside the World Bank region Europe and Central Asia with an alignment score and a Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS across the 2929 countries and territoriesEstimandcount of countries and territoriesWeightsnone (count)PopulationWVS countries inside the World Bank region Europe and Central Asia with an alignment score and a Human Development IndexPeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS countries inside it, a region that counts Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Turkey and Cyprus with Europe. That is a pattern across countries. It does not show that development changes how values relate to left-right, because countries with higher human development differ in other ways that could also move the score, such as the age of the party system, education and the meaning of the left-right label, and the chapter does not separate them.

    Figure 7

    Alignment is higher in countries with higher human development, with a correlation of +0.60 across 70 countries

    Alignment of values with left-right self-placement against the Human Development Index, by country, World Values Survey, waves 5 and 6, 2005-2016

    • Middle East & North Africa
    • Europe & Central Asia
    • Latin America & Caribbean
    • East Asia & Pacific
    • Sub-Saharan Africa
    • North America
    • South Asia
    Show data
    Data for Alignment is higher in countries with higher human development, with a correlation of +0.60 across 70 countries
    alignmentcountryess_alignmentnpanelregion
    −0.019Bulgaria−0.062634essEurope & Central Asia
    0.017Cyprus0.0111,846essEurope & Central Asia
    −0.026Estonia−0.0261,230essEurope & Central Asia
    0.043Finland0.083887essEurope & Central Asia
    0.052France0.106905essEurope & Central Asia
    0.065Germany0.0933,523essEurope & Central Asia
    −0.006Hungary0.010856essEurope & Central Asia
    0.109Netherlands0.1052,470essEurope & Central Asia
    0.079Norway0.070991essEurope & Central Asia
    0.057Poland0.0471,428essEurope & Central Asia
    −0.022Romania−0.0101,822essEurope & Central Asia
    −0.009Russia−0.004903essEurope & Central Asia
    −0.023Serbia0.006815essEurope & Central Asia
    0.053Slovenia0.0621,304essEurope & Central Asia
    0.072Spain0.1092,013essEurope & Central Asia
    0.083Sweden0.0592,053essEurope & Central Asia
    0.109Switzerland0.1321,083essEurope & Central Asia
    0.053Turkey0.0712,491essEurope & Central Asia
    −0.016Ukraine0.0072,026essEurope & Central Asia
    0.067United Kingdom0.083857essEurope & Central Asia
    0.032Algerian/a496hdiMiddle East & North Africa
    0.103Andorran/a906hdiEurope & Central Asia
    0.092Argentinan/a1,438hdiLatin America & Caribbean
    −0.010Armenian/a629hdiEurope & Central Asia
    0.082Australian/a2,683hdiEast Asia & Pacific
    0.009Azerbaijann/a1,001hdiEurope & Central Asia
    −0.019Belarusn/a1,454hdiEurope & Central Asia
    0.031Braziln/a2,517hdiLatin America & Caribbean
    −0.019Bulgarian/a634hdiEurope & Central Asia
    0.024Burkina Fason/a958hdiSub-Saharan Africa
    0.095Canadan/a1,585hdiNorth America
    0.032Chilen/a1,319hdiLatin America & Caribbean
    0.037Colombian/a1,238hdiLatin America & Caribbean
    0.017Cyprusn/a1,846hdiEurope & Central Asia
    0.014Ecuadorn/a1,140hdiLatin America & Caribbean
    −0.041Egyptn/a4,209hdiMiddle East & North Africa
    −0.026Estonian/a1,230hdiEurope & Central Asia
    −0.020Ethiopian/a1,249hdiSub-Saharan Africa
    0.043Finlandn/a887hdiEurope & Central Asia
    0.052Francen/a905hdiEurope & Central Asia
    −0.020Georgian/a1,594hdiEurope & Central Asia
    0.065Germanyn/a3,523hdiEurope & Central Asia
    −0.001Ghanan/a2,299hdiSub-Saharan Africa
    −0.009Haitin/a1,932hdiLatin America & Caribbean
    −0.009Hong Kong SARn/a964hdiEast Asia & Pacific
    −0.006Hungaryn/a856hdiEurope & Central Asia
    0.011Indian/a3,515hdiSouth Asia
    0.015Indonesian/a1,339hdiEast Asia & Pacific
    0.010Iraqn/a936hdiMiddle East & North Africa
    0.066Japann/a2,237hdiEast Asia & Pacific
    0.004Kazakhstann/a1,500hdiEurope & Central Asia
    −0.010Kyrgyzstann/a1,435hdiEurope & Central Asia
    −0.008Lebanonn/a750hdiMiddle East & North Africa
    −0.001Libyan/a1,319hdiMiddle East & North Africa
    −0.050Malaysian/a1,300hdiEast Asia & Pacific
    −0.029Malin/a977hdiSub-Saharan Africa
    0.022Mexicon/a3,127hdiLatin America & Caribbean
    −0.045Moldovan/a786hdiEurope & Central Asia
    −0.002Moroccon/a685hdiMiddle East & North Africa
    0.109Netherlandsn/a2,470hdiEurope & Central Asia
    0.110New Zealandn/a583hdiEast Asia & Pacific
    −0.031Nigerian/a1,759hdiSub-Saharan Africa
    0.079Norwayn/a991hdiEurope & Central Asia
    −0.021Pakistann/a1,129hdiSouth Asia
    0.009Palestinen/a705hdiMiddle East & North Africa
    0.001Perun/a2,022hdiLatin America & Caribbean
    0.000Philippinesn/a1,186hdiEast Asia & Pacific
    0.057Polandn/a1,428hdiEurope & Central Asia
    −0.022Romanian/a1,822hdiEurope & Central Asia
    −0.009Russian/a903hdiEurope & Central Asia
    0.012Rwandan/a2,456hdiSub-Saharan Africa
    −0.023Serbian/a815hdiEurope & Central Asia
    0.053Slovenian/a1,304hdiEurope & Central Asia
    −0.013South African/a5,449hdiSub-Saharan Africa
    0.088South Korean/a2,347hdiEast Asia & Pacific
    0.072Spainn/a2,013hdiEurope & Central Asia
    0.083Swedenn/a2,053hdiEurope & Central Asia
    0.109Switzerlandn/a1,083hdiEurope & Central Asia
    0.000Thailandn/a2,664hdiEast Asia & Pacific
    0.027Trinidad and Tobagon/a1,177hdiLatin America & Caribbean
    0.052Tunisian/a667hdiMiddle East & North Africa
    0.053Turkeyn/a2,491hdiEurope & Central Asia
    −0.016Ukrainen/a2,026hdiEurope & Central Asia
    0.067United Kingdomn/a857hdiEurope & Central Asia
    0.083United Statesn/a3,250hdiNorth America
    0.048Uruguayn/a1,663hdiLatin America & Caribbean
    −0.033Uzbekistann/a566hdiEurope & Central Asia
    0.053Vietnamn/a1,277hdiEast Asia & Pacific
    −0.009Zambian/a891hdiSub-Saharan Africa
    −0.012Zimbabwen/a1,500hdiSub-Saharan Africa
    Countries to the right have higher human development and, on average, a higher alignment score, and the correlation across countries is +0.60. Each dot is a country, colored by world region, and the line is the least-squares fit across countries with a 95% band. It describes a pattern across countries and does not show that development changes how values relate to left-right. Switch the view to compare the WVS score with the ESS score.Note: Taiwan has no Human Development Index value and is left out of the first view.Note: The alignment score averages eight values in both surveys. The ESS scale has 21 items and the WVS scale has one item per value.Note: The fit uses robust standard errors, which allow the spread around the line to differ across countries, and treats the countries as the sample.Note: Country cells need an effective sample of 300 respondents or more.Source: World Values Survey, waves 5 and 6, 2005-2016; weighted (S017 within each country, every country counted once across countries); Human Development Index from the country context file (one value per country); second view also uses the European Social Survey, rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024; weighted (analysis weight within each country, every country counted once across countries)

    The pattern repeats in round 11 and the WVS

    Two checks compare estimates built from separate respondents. The alignment score estimated from round 11 alone, in 3030 countriesEstimandcount of countriesWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries in ESS round 11PeriodESS round 11, 2023-2024SourceEuropean Social Survey countries, correlates at +0.92 (95% CI 0.84 to 0.96)+0.92 correlation across countries, from −1 to +1EstimandPearson correlation across countries of the alignment estimated from round 11 alone and from rounds 1 to 10 (Fisher z interval on the number of countries)Interval95% CI 0.84 to 0.96WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries in ESS round 11PeriodESS round 11 (2023-2024) against rounds 1 to 10SourceEuropean Social Survey with the score from the earlier rounds, and the loadings of single values correlate at +0.77+0.77 correlation across country-value cells, from −1 to +1EstimandPearson correlation across country-value cells of the loading estimated from round 11 alone and from rounds 1 to 10, after subtracting each value's mean across countries from each set of loadings (no interval: the ten cells of a country are not independent)WeightsESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountry-value cells in ESS round 11PeriodESS round 11 (2023-2024) against rounds 1 to 10SourceEuropean Social Survey across country-value cells after each value's average across countries is removed, which takes out the differences between values that repeat in every country. The WVS and the ESS use different items, years and interviewers, yet the alignment scores of the 2020 countriesEstimandcount of countriesWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries in both the ESS and the WVS value samplesPeriodESS rounds 1 to 11 and WVS waves 5 and 6SourceEuropean Social Survey countries in both surveys correlate at +0.90 (95% CI 0.77 to 0.96)+0.90 correlation across countries, from −1 to +1EstimandPearson correlation across countries of the alignment score from the ESS 21-item scale and from the WVS ten-item scale (Fisher z interval on the number of countries)Interval95% CI 0.77 to 0.96Weightssurvey weight within each countryPopulationcountries in both the ESS and the WVS value samplesPeriodESS rounds 1 to 11 and WVS waves 5 and 6SourceEuropean Social Survey (Figure 7, view against the ESS). Leaving the WVS items uncentred moves every item's mean loading toward the right and changes the order of countries by alignment little, with a correlation of +0.95+0.95 correlation across countries, from −1 to +1EstimandPearson correlation across countries of the alignment score from items centred on the respondent's mean and from the raw items (no interval: the two versions use the same respondents)WeightsWVS weight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationWVS countries with an alignment scorePeriodWVS waves 5 and 6, fieldwork 2005-2016, waves pooled within countrySourceWorld Values Survey and EVS between the two versions across the same countries.

    What these data cannot show

    The loadings are associations between two answers given in one interview. They do not show whether values shape left-right placement, whether placement shapes the values a person reports, or whether a third influence such as a party system, a church or an education shapes both. A country's alignment says how tightly the scale and the values move together and nothing about which comes first. How self-direction and stimulation differ by birth cohort is in Chapter 8.3, The silent revolution (planned).

    The scores are relative priorities. Because each value is centred on the respondent's own mean rating, the ten loadings cannot all lie on one side of zero, and a value that leans left partly reflects other values that lean right. The WVS measures each value with one item, which is noisier than the ESS scale, and the WVS universalism item is about the environment only. The alignment score leaves out hedonism and benevolence, and the theory's prediction for achievement holds only weakly in Western Europe, where its mean interval sits barely above zero and it is on the predicted side in 1212 countriesEstimandcount of countries with the point estimate on the predicted side for AchievementWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey of 1818 countriesEstimandcount of countries in the group, fixed by geography and historyWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe outside the former communist bloc (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey countries.

    The intervals are model based. They treat each survey as a weighted simple random sample and ignore clustering in the sampling designs, and the bootstrap over countries treats the countries as a sample from a population of countries, which they are not. A count of countries by interval moves when a country's interval ends close to zero, as Hungary's does in the ESS and Estonia's, Georgia's and Uzbekistan's do in the WVS, so a different bootstrap draw could place such a country in a neighboring group of the count. Countries appear in different rounds and waves, so a loading pools different years, and the chapter does not follow loadings over time. Round 10 of the ESS has no value items in 99 countriesEstimandcount of countries with no answered value item in round 10Weightsnone (count)PopulationESS countries with round 10 rows and no value itemsPeriodESS round 10, 2020-2022SourceEuropean Social Survey countries, so their loadings rest on the other rounds. The groups are historical and geographic labels. The post-communist group holds countries with different party systems and different histories after 1990, and Western Europe holds countries with long democratic histories and countries with recent ones. Left-right also means different things in different places, as Chapter 7.4, Left and right across countries shows, so a loading describes the tie between the label and a value among people who answer the question. The data hold no party manifestos, expert placements of parties or vote choices, so they cannot say why the tie is reversed in the 44 countriesEstimandcount of countries whose alignment interval is below zeroWeightsnone (count)Populationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey post-communist countries whose interval is below zero or unclear in the 1010 countriesEstimandcount of countries whose alignment interval is including zeroWeightsnone (count)Populationpost-communist European countries (ESS)PeriodESS rounds 1 to 11, 2002-2024, rounds pooled within countrySourceEuropean Social Survey whose interval includes zero.

    Data sources

    • European Social SurveyEuropean Social Survey rounds 1 to 11 (2002-2024): human values scale (Portrait Values Questionnaire) and left-right placement; round 11 value items rebuilt from the raw fileYears: 2002-2023 (rounds 1 to 11; round 11 was fielded in 2023 and 2024) · Weights: analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) within each country; every country counted once across countries · License: Open access after free registration in the ESS Data Portal; follow the ESS data citation requirements.
    • World Values Survey and EVSWorld Values Survey waves 5 and 6 (2005-2016): ten single-item value portraits and left-right placement; Human Development Index from the country context fileYears: 1981-2023 (7 unified waves) · Weights: weight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countries · License: Free download with registration; users must cite the release.

    All data sources

    Methods

    Sample: ESS respondents in rounds 1 to 11 (2002-2024) with a human-values score and a left-right answer (0 = left, 10 = right) and a positive analysis weight, 432,669 respondents in 39 countries; WVS respondents in waves 5 and 6 (fieldwork 2005-2016) with a left-right answer (1 to 10) and all nine core value items, 113,253 respondents in 71 countries and territories (113,808 respondents in 73 countries before Jordan and Yemen are dropped for an effective sample below 300). Round 10 of the ESS has no value items in 9 countries (Austria, Cyprus, Germany, Spain, Israel, Latvia, Poland, Serbia, Sweden), which is a gap in the raw file and not a cleaning loss, so their loadings rest on the other rounds. Germany is one country and includes the former East Germany. Values: the ten Schwartz basic values from the 21-item Portrait Values Questionnaire, each the mean of its answered items minus the respondent's mean over all answered items (reverse coded so higher means more important); the four higher-order axes are means of their member values. Rounds 1 to 10 come from the cleaned ESS file and the build reproduces its own value columns exactly; round 11 has no value items in the cleaned file, so they are rebuilt from the raw file (the items with the suffix a) and joined to the cleaned file's left-right answers and weights on country and respondent number, one to one. The WVS has one item per value (waves 5 and 6 only in the cleaned file), centred on the respondent's mean over the nine core items (all but benevolence, which no respondent answered in 13 countries and territories and a subsample answered in 20); the cleaned WVS file restores ten EVS countries with a blank label, and none carries the value items. Estimand: the loading of a value is the survey-weighted Pearson correlation between its score and left-right inside one country, with all fielded rounds or waves pooled. The predicted side of each value is fixed before estimation from the value circle (conservation and self-enhancement lean right, openness to change and self-transcendence lean left, hedonism has no predicted side). Weights: ESS analysis weight (pspwght x pweight) and WVS weight (S017) within each country; averages across countries count each country once. Intervals: country loadings have 95% Fisher z intervals on the Kish effective sample size of the complete cases, which are model based and ignore clustering; a mean across countries has a 95% percentile interval from a bootstrap over countries (2,000 replicates, seed 12345); the alignment of a country is the mean over eight values of the predicted sign times the loading, with a 95% percentile interval from a bootstrap over respondents (1,000 replicates, seed 12345); correlations across countries use Fisher z on the number of countries, the correlations across country-value cells (after subtracting each value's mean across countries) and between the centred and raw WVS scores are reported without an interval, and the line in the last figure is least squares with HC3 errors. Counts: a country is on the predicted side when its point estimate has the predicted sign, and its interval is on the predicted side when the interval excludes zero on that side. Suppression: a country-value cell needs a Kish effective sample of at least 300; no ESS cell fell below it, and Jordan and Yemen fall below it in the WVS. Country groups: Western Europe (18 countries outside the former communist bloc), post-communist Europe (18 countries) and Cyprus, Israel and Turkey, fixed by geography and history. Human Development Index: one value per country from the WVS country context file (year not recorded), thirds among the countries with an alignment score and a value (Taiwan has none); the region is the World Bank region in the same file, in which Europe and Central Asia includes Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Turkey and Cyprus.

    References

    1. Schwartz, Shalom H. (1992). Universals in the Content and Structure of Values: Theoretical Advances and Empirical Tests in 20 Countries. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 25: 1-65. doi:10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60281-6
    2. Caprara, Gian Vittorio; Schwartz, Shalom; Capanna, Cristina; Vecchione, Michele; Barbaranelli, Claudio (2006). Personality and Politics: Values, Traits, and Political Choice. Political Psychology 27(1): 1-28. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9221.2006.00447.x
    3. Piurko, Yuval; Schwartz, Shalom H.; Davidov, Eldad (2011). Basic Personal Values and the Meaning of Left-Right Political Orientations in 20 Countries. Political Psychology 32(4): 537-561. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9221.2011.00828.x
    4. Schwartz, Shalom H. (2003). A Proposal for Measuring Value Orientations across Nations. Chapter 7 in the Questionnaire Development Report of the European Social Survey. www.europeansocialsurvey.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/ESS_core_questionnaire_human_values.pdf
    5. Fisher, Ronald A. (1921). On the Probable Error of a Coefficient of Correlation Deduced from a Small Sample. Metron 1(4): 3-32.
    6. Kish, Leslie (1965). Survey Sampling. John Wiley and Sons.
    7. Efron, Bradley (1979). Bootstrap Methods: Another Look at the Jackknife. Annals of Statistics 7(1): 1-26. doi:10.1214/aos/1176344552
    8. Aspelund, Anna; Lindeman, Marjaana; Verkasalo, Markku (2013). Political Conservatism and Left-Right Orientation in 28 Eastern and Western European Countries. Political Psychology 34(3): 409-417. doi:10.1111/pops.12000
    9. Davidov, Eldad; Schmidt, Peter; Schwartz, Shalom H. (2008). Bringing Values Back In: The Adequacy of the European Social Survey to Measure Values in 20 Countries. Public Opinion Quarterly 72(3): 420-445. doi:10.1093/poq/nfn035
    10. Tavits, Margit; Letki, Natalia (2009). When Left Is Right: Party Ideology and Policy in Post-Communist Europe. American Political Science Review 103(4): 555-569. doi:10.1017/S0003055409990220
    11. Kaasa, Anneli; Welzel, Christian (2023). Elements of Schwartz's Model in the WVS: How Do They Relate to Other Cultural Models?. Cross-Cultural Research 57(5): 431-471. doi:10.1177/10693971231179792

    How to cite

    @misc{singh2026basicvaluesandleftright,
  author = {Singh, Vishal},
  title = {Basic values and left-right},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://vishalsingh.org/politics/basic-values-and-left-right},
  note = {In The Public Mind. Published 30 September 2026.}
}

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