Companion 1.3b
The obedience-autonomy disposition
Valuing obedience over autonomy in children goes with placing oneself further right, with a median correlation of +0.04 across 103 countries in the WVS and EVS from 2005 to 2023.
A companion to Chapter 1.3, Left and right across countries
DraftFigures and numbers may change as the analysis is rebuilt.what is still being checked
Not yet done: a measurement-invariance test of the ANES child-rearing items across racial groups. This chapter reports the groups separately, cites two studies that reach different conclusions and does not test whether the items mean the same thing to each group.
Among World Values Survey (WVS) respondents in the United States, people who pick obedience and religious faith over independence and tolerance as qualities for a child to learn place themselves further right on a ten-point scale from left to right. With the waves of 2006, 2011 and 2017 pooled, the 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. between that child-rearing choice and self-placement is +0.28+0.28 correlation coefficient, from −1 to +1Estimandweighted correlation of left-right with the full indexInterval95% CI 0.25 to 0.31n5,900Weightsweight (S017) within the countryPopulationrespondents in United States with a left-right answer and all four child-quality answersPeriodfieldwork 2006, 2011, 2017, waves pooledSourceWorld Values Survey and EVS. Among respondents in India, with the waves of 2006, 2012 and 2023 pooled, the same question gives +0.01 (95% CI −0.01 to 0.04)+0.01 correlation coefficient, from −1 to +1Estimandweighted correlation of left-right with the full indexInterval95% CI −0.01 to 0.04n5,826Weightsweight (S017) within the countryPopulationrespondents in India with a left-right answer and all four child-quality answersPeriodfieldwork 2006, 2012, 2023, waves pooledSourceWorld Values Survey and EVS, an interval that includes zero, the value at which two answers are unrelated. The same answer about children goes with the political right in one country and has no detectable link to it in the other.
The answer tracks left-right placement only weakly
Stenner argued that a lasting preference for sameness and authority over difference and choice can be read from questions about raising children, because those questions do not mention politics [1]. The WVS question is a checklist. Respondents see a list of qualities a child can learn at home and pick up to five, among them obedience, religious faith, independence, and tolerance and respect for other people. The chapter's score is the first pair minus the second, so ticking obedience and faith and neither of the other two puts a person at the obedience end. The score records a choice about children, and treating it as a disposition rests on that argument. The WVS and the European Values Study (EVS) give a usable estimate for 103103 countries and territoriesEstimandcount of countries with a usable correlation between left-right and the full indexWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries with an effective sample of 300 or more on the measure and left-rightPeriodfieldwork 2005-2023SourceWorld Values Survey and EVS countries and territories with fieldwork from 2005 to 2023. The correlation between the child-rearing score and 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. is above zero in 8484 countries and territoriesEstimandcount of countries where the point estimate is above zeroWeightsnone (count)Populationcountries with an effective sample of 300 or more on the measure and left-rightPeriodfieldwork 2005-2023SourceWorld Values Survey and EVS of them, and the median country has a correlation of +0.04 (95% CI 0.03 to 0.06)+0.04 correlation coefficient, from −1 to +1Estimandmedian across countries of the correlation between left-right and the full index (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 0.03 to 0.06n103Weightsweight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries with an effective sample of 300 or more on the measure and left-rightPeriodfieldwork 2005-2023SourceWorld Values Survey and EVS. A positive value means that people on the obedience side place themselves further right on average. A median this close to zero means that the child-rearing answer tracks the left-right label only weakly in most of these countries. The interval lies wholly below zero in Bulgaria, Czechia, Egypt, Moldova and Zambia, where people on the obedience side place themselves further left on average.
Figure 1
The correlation is positive in 84 of 103 countries and +0.04 in the median country
Weighted correlation between left-right self-placement (10 = right) and the obedience measure, one dot per country; WVS and EVS fieldwork 2005-2023, ESS rounds 3 to 10
- Interval above zero
- Interval includes zero
- Interval below zero
Show data
| Country | Region | Correlation | Interval low | Interval high | Respondents | Measure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | Europe & Central Asia | +0.06 | +0.02 | +0.11 | 2,253 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Algeria | Middle East & North Africa | +0.06 | −0.02 | +0.14 | 545 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Andorra | Europe & Central Asia | +0.20 | +0.15 | +0.24 | 1,824 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Argentina | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.15 | +0.11 | +0.20 | 2,346 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Armenia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.05 | +0.01 | +0.08 | 3,776 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Australia | East Asia & Pacific | +0.17 | +0.13 | +0.20 | 4,488 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Austria | Europe & Central Asia | +0.17 | +0.13 | +0.21 | 2,685 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Azerbaijan | Europe & Central Asia | +0.04 | 0.00 | +0.09 | 2,174 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Bangladesh | South Asia | 0.00 | −0.06 | +0.06 | 1,200 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Belarus | Europe & Central Asia | 0.00 | −0.03 | +0.04 | 3,222 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Belgium | Europe & Central Asia | +0.07 | +0.01 | +0.12 | 1,422 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Bolivia | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.05 | +0.01 | +0.10 | 1,800 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Bosnia Herzegovina | Europe & Central Asia | +0.10 | +0.06 | +0.15 | 2,315 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Brazil | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.06 | +0.03 | +0.10 | 3,680 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Bulgaria | Europe & Central Asia | −0.06 | −0.10 | −0.02 | 2,665 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Burkina Faso | Sub-Saharan Africa | +0.02 | −0.04 | +0.08 | 1,126 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Canada | North America | +0.25 | +0.22 | +0.28 | 5,642 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Chile | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.06 | +0.01 | +0.12 | 2,127 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Colombia | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.08 | +0.06 | +0.11 | 5,023 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Croatia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.16 | +0.12 | +0.21 | 2,196 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Cyprus | Europe & Central Asia | −0.01 | −0.05 | +0.03 | 2,894 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Czechia | Europe & Central Asia | −0.06 | −0.09 | −0.02 | 3,615 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Denmark | Europe & Central Asia | +0.09 | +0.06 | +0.13 | 4,688 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Ecuador | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.08 | +0.04 | +0.12 | 2,244 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Egypt | Middle East & North Africa | −0.14 | −0.17 | −0.10 | 4,245 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Estonia | Europe & Central Asia | −0.01 | −0.05 | +0.02 | 3,319 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Ethiopia | Sub-Saharan Africa | +0.02 | −0.02 | +0.07 | 1,931 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Finland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.11 | +0.07 | +0.15 | 2,955 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| France | Europe & Central Asia | +0.13 | +0.10 | +0.17 | 3,862 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Georgia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.01 | −0.02 | +0.05 | 4,248 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Germany | Europe & Central Asia | +0.12 | +0.09 | +0.14 | 8,805 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Ghana | Sub-Saharan Africa | +0.04 | −0.01 | +0.08 | 2,334 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Greece | Europe & Central Asia | +0.18 | +0.14 | +0.22 | 2,201 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Guatemala | Latin America & Caribbean | −0.03 | −0.10 | +0.05 | 728 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Haiti | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.02 | −0.03 | +0.06 | 1,945 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Hong Kong SAR | East Asia & Pacific | +0.08 | +0.04 | +0.11 | 3,960 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Hungary | Europe & Central Asia | +0.07 | +0.03 | +0.10 | 3,444 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Iceland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.06 | +0.01 | +0.11 | 2,322 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| India | South Asia | +0.01 | −0.01 | +0.04 | 5,826 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Indonesia | East Asia & Pacific | +0.01 | −0.03 | +0.04 | 4,093 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Iraq | Middle East & North Africa | +0.12 | +0.05 | +0.18 | 978 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Italy | Europe & Central Asia | +0.16 | +0.13 | +0.19 | 3,552 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Japan | East Asia & Pacific | +0.06 | +0.03 | +0.09 | 3,609 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Kazakhstan | Europe & Central Asia | +0.02 | −0.03 | +0.07 | 1,500 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Kenya | Sub-Saharan Africa | +0.02 | −0.04 | +0.07 | 1,164 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Kosovo | Europe & Central Asia | −0.02 | −0.10 | +0.06 | 662 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Kyrgyzstan | Europe & Central Asia | +0.08 | +0.03 | +0.13 | 1,461 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Latvia | Europe & Central Asia | −0.01 | −0.05 | +0.04 | 1,985 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Lebanon | Middle East & North Africa | +0.04 | −0.02 | +0.11 | 837 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Libya | Middle East & North Africa | +0.01 | −0.04 | +0.06 | 2,606 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Lithuania | Europe & Central Asia | +0.07 | +0.02 | +0.11 | 1,831 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Luxembourg | Europe & Central Asia | +0.22 | +0.16 | +0.28 | 1,256 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Macau SAR | East Asia & Pacific | −0.01 | −0.08 | +0.05 | 997 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Malaysia | East Asia & Pacific | +0.02 | −0.02 | +0.06 | 2,613 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Maldives | South Asia | +0.04 | −0.02 | +0.10 | 1,022 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Mali | Sub-Saharan Africa | 0.00 | −0.06 | +0.05 | 1,193 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Malta | Middle East & North Africa | +0.05 | −0.03 | +0.12 | 764 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Mexico | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.04 | +0.01 | +0.07 | 4,785 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Moldova | Europe & Central Asia | −0.07 | −0.12 | −0.02 | 1,610 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Mongolia | East Asia & Pacific | +0.04 | −0.01 | +0.09 | 1,613 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Montenegro | Europe & Central Asia | +0.03 | −0.03 | +0.10 | 1,211 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Morocco | Middle East & North Africa | +0.16 | +0.12 | +0.20 | 1,916 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Netherlands | Europe & Central Asia | +0.20 | +0.18 | +0.22 | 7,886 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| New Zealand | East Asia & Pacific | +0.15 | +0.10 | +0.20 | 1,423 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Nicaragua | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.03 | −0.04 | +0.09 | 871 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Nigeria | Sub-Saharan Africa | +0.02 | −0.02 | +0.06 | 2,929 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| North Macedonia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.05 | −0.03 | +0.13 | 766 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Northern Ireland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.16 | +0.06 | +0.25 | 642 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Norway | Europe & Central Asia | +0.08 | +0.04 | +0.11 | 3,154 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Pakistan | South Asia | −0.04 | −0.09 | +0.02 | 1,200 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Palestine | Middle East & North Africa | −0.01 | −0.09 | +0.06 | 730 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Peru | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.02 | −0.01 | +0.06 | 3,345 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Philippines | East Asia & Pacific | +0.03 | −0.02 | +0.07 | 2,389 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Poland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.19 | +0.16 | +0.22 | 3,599 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Portugal | Europe & Central Asia | +0.05 | 0.00 | +0.11 | 1,942 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Puerto Rico | Latin America & Caribbean | 0.00 | −0.06 | +0.06 | 1,049 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Romania | Europe & Central Asia | −0.02 | −0.05 | +0.01 | 4,539 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Russia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.01 | −0.02 | +0.05 | 4,611 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Rwanda | Sub-Saharan Africa | +0.06 | +0.03 | +0.10 | 2,555 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Serbia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.03 | −0.01 | +0.07 | 3,739 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Singapore | East Asia & Pacific | +0.07 | +0.02 | +0.11 | 1,745 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Slovakia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.03 | −0.01 | +0.07 | 3,260 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Slovenia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.17 | +0.13 | +0.20 | 3,091 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| South Africa | Sub-Saharan Africa | −0.02 | −0.06 | +0.01 | 5,594 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| South Korea | East Asia & Pacific | +0.04 | 0.00 | +0.08 | 3,640 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Spain | Europe & Central Asia | +0.20 | +0.17 | +0.23 | 4,298 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Sweden | Europe & Central Asia | +0.04 | 0.00 | +0.07 | 4,254 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Switzerland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.15 | +0.12 | +0.17 | 5,134 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Taiwan ROC | Not classified | 0.00 | −0.04 | +0.04 | 3,563 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Tajikistan | Europe & Central Asia | −0.03 | −0.09 | +0.02 | 1,200 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Thailand | East Asia & Pacific | +0.06 | +0.02 | +0.09 | 3,763 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.01 | −0.05 | +0.07 | 1,213 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Tunisia | Middle East & North Africa | −0.01 | −0.06 | +0.04 | 1,678 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Turkey | Europe & Central Asia | +0.16 | +0.13 | +0.19 | 4,467 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Ukraine | Europe & Central Asia | +0.05 | +0.01 | +0.10 | 4,565 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| United Kingdom | Europe & Central Asia | +0.13 | +0.11 | +0.16 | 6,150 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| United States | North America | +0.28 | +0.25 | +0.31 | 5,900 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Uruguay | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.14 | +0.10 | +0.18 | 2,662 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Uzbekistan | Europe & Central Asia | +0.01 | −0.07 | +0.09 | 615 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Venezuela | Latin America & Caribbean | −0.06 | −0.11 | 0.00 | 1,190 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Vietnam | East Asia & Pacific | +0.11 | +0.06 | +0.16 | 1,408 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Zambia | Sub-Saharan Africa | −0.07 | −0.14 | −0.01 | 959 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Zimbabwe | Sub-Saharan Africa | +0.02 | −0.03 | +0.06 | 2,627 | WVS and EVS, full index |
| Albania | Europe & Central Asia | 0.00 | −0.04 | +0.05 | 2,253 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Algeria | Middle East & North Africa | +0.06 | −0.02 | +0.14 | 545 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Andorra | Europe & Central Asia | +0.16 | +0.12 | +0.21 | 1,824 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Argentina | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.15 | +0.11 | +0.20 | 2,346 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Armenia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.05 | +0.01 | +0.08 | 3,783 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Australia | East Asia & Pacific | +0.14 | +0.11 | +0.18 | 4,488 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Austria | Europe & Central Asia | +0.16 | +0.12 | +0.20 | 2,693 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Azerbaijan | Europe & Central Asia | +0.04 | −0.01 | +0.08 | 2,174 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Bangladesh | South Asia | +0.01 | −0.05 | +0.07 | 1,200 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Belarus | Europe & Central Asia | +0.01 | −0.03 | +0.04 | 3,223 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Belgium | Europe & Central Asia | +0.05 | 0.00 | +0.11 | 1,422 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Bolivia | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.05 | 0.00 | +0.10 | 1,800 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Bosnia Herzegovina | Europe & Central Asia | +0.05 | 0.00 | +0.09 | 2,315 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Brazil | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.06 | +0.03 | +0.09 | 3,680 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Bulgaria | Europe & Central Asia | −0.07 | −0.12 | −0.03 | 2,689 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Burkina Faso | Sub-Saharan Africa | −0.02 | −0.08 | +0.04 | 1,126 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Canada | North America | +0.21 | +0.18 | +0.24 | 5,642 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Chile | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.04 | −0.02 | +0.09 | 2,127 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Colombia | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.07 | +0.04 | +0.09 | 5,023 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Croatia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.08 | +0.03 | +0.13 | 2,208 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Cyprus | Europe & Central Asia | −0.01 | −0.05 | +0.03 | 2,898 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Czechia | Europe & Central Asia | −0.06 | −0.10 | −0.03 | 3,663 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Denmark | Europe & Central Asia | +0.08 | +0.04 | +0.11 | 4,688 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Ecuador | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.07 | +0.03 | +0.11 | 2,244 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Egypt | Middle East & North Africa | −0.13 | −0.16 | −0.09 | 4,245 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Estonia | Europe & Central Asia | −0.01 | −0.04 | +0.03 | 3,322 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Ethiopia | Sub-Saharan Africa | +0.04 | 0.00 | +0.08 | 1,931 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Finland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.08 | +0.04 | +0.12 | 2,955 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| France | Europe & Central Asia | +0.13 | +0.09 | +0.16 | 3,862 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Georgia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.02 | −0.01 | +0.05 | 4,250 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Germany | Europe & Central Asia | +0.11 | +0.09 | +0.14 | 8,805 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Ghana | Sub-Saharan Africa | +0.01 | −0.04 | +0.06 | 2,334 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Greece | Europe & Central Asia | +0.09 | +0.05 | +0.13 | 2,201 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Guatemala | Latin America & Caribbean | −0.03 | −0.10 | +0.04 | 759 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Haiti | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.01 | −0.03 | +0.06 | 1,945 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Hong Kong SAR | East Asia & Pacific | +0.09 | +0.05 | +0.12 | 3,960 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Hungary | Europe & Central Asia | +0.02 | −0.01 | +0.06 | 3,446 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Iceland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.04 | 0.00 | +0.09 | 2,323 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| India | South Asia | −0.01 | −0.03 | +0.02 | 5,826 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Indonesia | East Asia & Pacific | +0.01 | −0.03 | +0.04 | 4,093 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Iraq | Middle East & North Africa | +0.02 | −0.05 | +0.08 | 978 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Italy | Europe & Central Asia | +0.14 | +0.11 | +0.17 | 3,554 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Japan | East Asia & Pacific | +0.05 | +0.02 | +0.09 | 3,609 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Kazakhstan | Europe & Central Asia | +0.01 | −0.04 | +0.06 | 1,500 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Kenya | Sub-Saharan Africa | +0.02 | −0.04 | +0.08 | 1,164 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Kosovo | Europe & Central Asia | +0.04 | −0.04 | +0.11 | 662 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Kyrgyzstan | Europe & Central Asia | +0.08 | +0.02 | +0.13 | 1,461 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Latvia | Europe & Central Asia | −0.01 | −0.05 | +0.04 | 2,014 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Lebanon | Middle East & North Africa | 0.00 | −0.07 | +0.07 | 837 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Libya | Middle East & North Africa | +0.01 | −0.04 | +0.06 | 2,606 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Lithuania | Europe & Central Asia | +0.05 | 0.00 | +0.10 | 1,834 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Luxembourg | Europe & Central Asia | +0.18 | +0.12 | +0.23 | 1,259 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Macau SAR | East Asia & Pacific | 0.00 | −0.07 | +0.06 | 997 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Malaysia | East Asia & Pacific | 0.00 | −0.04 | +0.04 | 2,613 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Maldives | South Asia | +0.06 | −0.01 | +0.12 | 1,022 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Mali | Sub-Saharan Africa | 0.00 | −0.06 | +0.06 | 1,193 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Malta | Middle East & North Africa | +0.04 | −0.04 | +0.11 | 766 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Mexico | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.03 | +0.01 | +0.06 | 4,786 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Moldova | Europe & Central Asia | −0.07 | −0.11 | −0.02 | 1,616 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Mongolia | East Asia & Pacific | 0.00 | −0.05 | +0.05 | 1,613 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Montenegro | Europe & Central Asia | −0.03 | −0.09 | +0.03 | 1,212 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Morocco | Middle East & North Africa | +0.11 | +0.07 | +0.16 | 1,916 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Netherlands | Europe & Central Asia | +0.18 | +0.16 | +0.20 | 7,889 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| New Zealand | East Asia & Pacific | +0.14 | +0.09 | +0.19 | 1,423 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Nicaragua | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.01 | −0.06 | +0.07 | 871 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Nigeria | Sub-Saharan Africa | +0.01 | −0.03 | +0.05 | 2,929 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| North Macedonia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.05 | −0.03 | +0.13 | 804 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Northern Ireland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.12 | +0.02 | +0.21 | 650 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Norway | Europe & Central Asia | +0.06 | +0.02 | +0.09 | 3,154 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Pakistan | South Asia | −0.05 | −0.11 | +0.01 | 1,200 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Palestine | Middle East & North Africa | −0.03 | −0.10 | +0.05 | 730 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Peru | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.02 | −0.01 | +0.06 | 3,345 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Philippines | East Asia & Pacific | +0.01 | −0.03 | +0.06 | 2,389 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Poland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.10 | +0.06 | +0.13 | 3,604 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Portugal | Europe & Central Asia | +0.01 | −0.04 | +0.07 | 1,944 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Puerto Rico | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.02 | −0.04 | +0.08 | 1,049 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Romania | Europe & Central Asia | −0.02 | −0.05 | +0.01 | 4,544 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Russia | Europe & Central Asia | 0.00 | −0.04 | +0.03 | 4,620 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Rwanda | Sub-Saharan Africa | +0.04 | 0.00 | +0.08 | 2,555 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Serbia | Europe & Central Asia | 0.00 | −0.03 | +0.04 | 3,743 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Singapore | East Asia & Pacific | +0.03 | −0.02 | +0.08 | 1,745 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Slovakia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.03 | −0.01 | +0.07 | 3,270 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Slovenia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.09 | +0.06 | +0.13 | 3,093 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| South Africa | Sub-Saharan Africa | −0.01 | −0.05 | +0.02 | 5,594 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| South Korea | East Asia & Pacific | +0.03 | −0.01 | +0.07 | 3,640 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Spain | Europe & Central Asia | +0.14 | +0.11 | +0.17 | 4,304 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Sweden | Europe & Central Asia | +0.04 | 0.00 | +0.07 | 4,254 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Switzerland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.15 | +0.13 | +0.18 | 5,134 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Taiwan ROC | Not classified | −0.01 | −0.04 | +0.03 | 3,563 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Tajikistan | Europe & Central Asia | −0.04 | −0.10 | +0.01 | 1,200 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Thailand | East Asia & Pacific | +0.05 | +0.02 | +0.08 | 3,763 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Latin America & Caribbean | 0.00 | −0.05 | +0.06 | 1,213 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Tunisia | Middle East & North Africa | −0.07 | −0.12 | −0.02 | 1,680 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Turkey | Europe & Central Asia | +0.07 | +0.04 | +0.10 | 4,505 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Ukraine | Europe & Central Asia | +0.01 | −0.03 | +0.05 | 4,577 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| United Kingdom | Europe & Central Asia | +0.13 | +0.10 | +0.16 | 6,155 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| United States | North America | +0.22 | +0.19 | +0.25 | 5,900 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Uruguay | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.12 | +0.08 | +0.16 | 2,662 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Uzbekistan | Europe & Central Asia | +0.01 | −0.07 | +0.09 | 615 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Venezuela | Latin America & Caribbean | +0.01 | −0.04 | +0.07 | 1,190 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Vietnam | East Asia & Pacific | +0.12 | +0.06 | +0.17 | 1,408 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Zambia | Sub-Saharan Africa | −0.04 | −0.11 | +0.02 | 959 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Zimbabwe | Sub-Saharan Africa | +0.03 | −0.01 | +0.08 | 2,627 | WVS and EVS, without the religious-faith item |
| Albania | Europe & Central Asia | 0.00 | −0.08 | +0.09 | 1,041 | ESS, conservation values |
| Austria | Europe & Central Asia | +0.22 | +0.19 | +0.24 | 7,715 | ESS, conservation values |
| Belgium | Europe & Central Asia | +0.08 | +0.06 | +0.09 | 13,202 | ESS, conservation values |
| Bulgaria | Europe & Central Asia | −0.23 | −0.25 | −0.21 | 9,818 | ESS, conservation values |
| Croatia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.15 | +0.12 | +0.18 | 5,353 | ESS, conservation values |
| Cyprus | Europe & Central Asia | −0.02 | −0.06 | +0.02 | 4,044 | ESS, conservation values |
| Czechia | Europe & Central Asia | −0.23 | −0.25 | −0.21 | 13,804 | ESS, conservation values |
| Denmark | Europe & Central Asia | +0.12 | +0.09 | +0.14 | 8,952 | ESS, conservation values |
| Estonia | Europe & Central Asia | −0.06 | −0.08 | −0.05 | 12,434 | ESS, conservation values |
| Finland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.10 | +0.08 | +0.12 | 14,133 | ESS, conservation values |
| France | Europe & Central Asia | +0.20 | +0.19 | +0.22 | 14,593 | ESS, conservation values |
| Germany | Europe & Central Asia | +0.16 | +0.15 | +0.18 | 18,649 | ESS, conservation values |
| Greece | Europe & Central Asia | +0.10 | +0.07 | +0.13 | 6,131 | ESS, conservation values |
| Hungary | Europe & Central Asia | −0.01 | −0.04 | +0.01 | 10,753 | ESS, conservation values |
| Iceland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.10 | +0.07 | +0.14 | 3,146 | ESS, conservation values |
| Ireland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.15 | +0.13 | +0.17 | 15,004 | ESS, conservation values |
| Israel | Middle East & North Africa | +0.09 | +0.07 | +0.11 | 10,886 | ESS, conservation values |
| Italy | Europe & Central Asia | +0.06 | +0.03 | +0.09 | 6,404 | ESS, conservation values |
| Kosovo | Europe & Central Asia | +0.10 | 0.00 | +0.19 | 809 | ESS, conservation values |
| Latvia | Europe & Central Asia | −0.02 | −0.07 | +0.03 | 2,290 | ESS, conservation values |
| Lithuania | Europe & Central Asia | +0.01 | −0.01 | +0.04 | 8,096 | ESS, conservation values |
| Montenegro | Europe & Central Asia | +0.03 | −0.04 | +0.10 | 1,613 | ESS, conservation values |
| Netherlands | Europe & Central Asia | +0.14 | +0.12 | +0.16 | 13,145 | ESS, conservation values |
| North Macedonia | Europe & Central Asia | −0.02 | −0.12 | +0.08 | 879 | ESS, conservation values |
| Norway | Europe & Central Asia | +0.08 | +0.05 | +0.10 | 11,607 | ESS, conservation values |
| Poland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.13 | +0.11 | +0.15 | 9,787 | ESS, conservation values |
| Portugal | Europe & Central Asia | +0.07 | +0.04 | +0.09 | 10,831 | ESS, conservation values |
| Romania | Europe & Central Asia | −0.06 | −0.12 | 0.00 | 1,464 | ESS, conservation values |
| Russia | Europe & Central Asia | −0.04 | −0.07 | −0.02 | 7,993 | ESS, conservation values |
| Serbia | Europe & Central Asia | 0.00 | −0.06 | +0.07 | 1,274 | ESS, conservation values |
| Slovakia | Europe & Central Asia | −0.19 | −0.21 | −0.16 | 8,503 | ESS, conservation values |
| Slovenia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.14 | +0.12 | +0.16 | 8,061 | ESS, conservation values |
| Spain | Europe & Central Asia | +0.20 | +0.19 | +0.22 | 11,913 | ESS, conservation values |
| Sweden | Europe & Central Asia | +0.04 | +0.02 | +0.06 | 10,896 | ESS, conservation values |
| Switzerland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.22 | +0.20 | +0.24 | 11,856 | ESS, conservation values |
| Turkey | Europe & Central Asia | +0.13 | +0.08 | +0.18 | 1,885 | ESS, conservation values |
| Ukraine | Europe & Central Asia | −0.05 | −0.09 | −0.01 | 4,541 | ESS, conservation values |
| United Kingdom | Europe & Central Asia | +0.17 | +0.15 | +0.19 | 14,926 | ESS, conservation values |
| Albania | Europe & Central Asia | +0.04 | −0.04 | +0.13 | 1,035 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Austria | Europe & Central Asia | +0.18 | +0.15 | +0.21 | 5,705 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Belgium | Europe & Central Asia | +0.08 | +0.05 | +0.10 | 9,741 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Bulgaria | Europe & Central Asia | −0.09 | −0.12 | −0.06 | 7,237 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Switzerland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.18 | +0.16 | +0.20 | 8,462 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Cyprus | Europe & Central Asia | +0.05 | 0.00 | +0.10 | 2,137 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Czechia | Europe & Central Asia | −0.14 | −0.16 | −0.12 | 11,912 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Germany | Europe & Central Asia | +0.14 | +0.12 | +0.16 | 13,439 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Denmark | Europe & Central Asia | +0.06 | +0.03 | +0.09 | 5,987 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Estonia | Europe & Central Asia | −0.04 | −0.06 | −0.02 | 10,008 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Spain | Europe & Central Asia | +0.18 | +0.16 | +0.21 | 8,217 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Finland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.08 | +0.06 | +0.10 | 10,694 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| France | Europe & Central Asia | +0.17 | +0.15 | +0.19 | 10,749 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| United Kingdom | Europe & Central Asia | +0.15 | +0.12 | +0.17 | 10,388 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Greece | Europe & Central Asia | +0.05 | +0.01 | +0.08 | 4,368 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Croatia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.14 | +0.11 | +0.18 | 4,179 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Hungary | Europe & Central Asia | +0.04 | +0.01 | +0.06 | 8,354 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Ireland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.10 | +0.08 | +0.12 | 11,842 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Israel | Middle East & North Africa | +0.10 | +0.08 | +0.13 | 8,536 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Iceland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.09 | +0.06 | +0.13 | 3,130 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Italy | Europe & Central Asia | +0.05 | +0.02 | +0.08 | 6,305 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Lithuania | Europe & Central Asia | +0.03 | 0.00 | +0.05 | 8,031 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Latvia | Europe & Central Asia | −0.12 | −0.21 | −0.02 | 638 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Montenegro | Europe & Central Asia | +0.05 | −0.02 | +0.12 | 1,580 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| North Macedonia | Europe & Central Asia | −0.03 | −0.13 | +0.06 | 867 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Netherlands | Europe & Central Asia | +0.13 | +0.11 | +0.15 | 9,653 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Norway | Europe & Central Asia | +0.07 | +0.04 | +0.09 | 8,655 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Poland | Europe & Central Asia | +0.14 | +0.11 | +0.16 | 7,022 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Portugal | Europe & Central Asia | +0.07 | +0.04 | +0.10 | 7,603 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Serbia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.07 | 0.00 | +0.14 | 1,265 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Russia | Europe & Central Asia | 0.00 | −0.04 | +0.04 | 5,059 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Sweden | Europe & Central Asia | +0.03 | 0.00 | +0.05 | 7,774 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Slovenia | Europe & Central Asia | +0.15 | +0.12 | +0.17 | 5,947 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Slovakia | Europe & Central Asia | −0.12 | −0.15 | −0.08 | 5,338 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Ukraine | Europe & Central Asia | −0.03 | −0.08 | +0.02 | 2,309 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
| Kosovo | Europe & Central Asia | +0.11 | +0.01 | +0.20 | 809 | ESS, conservation values net of age, sex and education |
Look at how the dots bunch just to the right of the dashed zero line, with the United States and Canada farthest right and Egypt, Czechia, Bulgaria, Moldova and Zambia to its left. Each dot is one country's correlation between left-right placement and the child-rearing score, and the solid line is the median. Color marks whether a country's 95% interval lies above zero, crosses it (grey) or lies below it. Values in Table 3.
The median is higher in high-income countries. By the World Bank income groups in the WVS context file, it is +0.10+0.10 correlation coefficient, from −1 to +1Estimandmedian across countries of the correlation between left-right and the full index (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 0.07 to 0.15Weightsweight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationhigh-income countries with a usable correlationPeriodfieldwork 2005-2023SourceWorld Values Survey and EVSNoteBased on 44 countries. in high-income countries and +0.02+0.02 correlation coefficient, from −1 to +1Estimandmedian across countries of the correlation between left-right and the full index (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 0.00 to 0.03Weightsweight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationlower-income countries with a usable correlationPeriodfieldwork 2005-2023SourceWorld Values Survey and EVSNoteBased on 30 countries. in lower-income countries, with the upper-middle-income group between them. The high-income group is separated from the upper-middle-income group, and the upper-middle-income and lower-income groups are not separated from each other. Income group also tracks region, religion and party system, so the grouping describes where the correlation is larger and does not say why.
A values battery in Europe gives a similar country order
The European Social Survey (ESS) has no question about children. Its measure is a different instrument, the importance a respondent gives to conformity, tradition and security, three of Schwartz's 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.. Companion 1.3a, Basic values and left-right compares those values with left-right one at a time. Across the ESS rounds fielded from 2006 to 2022, the median country correlation with left-right placement is +0.08+0.08 correlation coefficient, from −1 to +1Estimandmedian across countries of the correlation between left-right and Schwartz conservation values (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 0.01 to 0.11n38Weightsanalysis weight within each country; every country counted oncePopulationESS countries with an effective sample of 300 or morePeriodESS rounds 3 to 10, 2006-2022SourceEuropean Social Survey, and the country pattern resembles the WVS one. Czechia and Bulgaria are negative in both surveys. Every ESS country with an interval below zero is post-communist, while Poland, Slovenia and Croatia are post-communist and positive in both surveys. The agreement shows that the two surveys rank countries alike. It does not show that both measure one disposition, because on the same countries the two surveys agree as closely on how left-right attaches to age and to religiosity, with no predictor's interval separating from the obedience measure's.
Who was asked, and what the intervals leave out
The WVS and EVS estimates rest on about 280,000281,678 respondentsEstimandcount of respondentsWeightsnone (count)Populationrespondents with a left-right answer and all four child-quality answers, in the countries with a usable correlationPeriodfieldwork 2005-2023SourceWorld Values Survey and EVS respondents who answered the left-right question and all four of the child-quality answers in waves from 2005 to 2023. Each country's correlation is 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. so that the sample matches the country's population on known traits, and every country counts once in the medians. The intervals are built on the 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., the number of equally weighted respondents that would give the same precision. They treat each weighted sample as a simple random sample, so they are narrower than intervals that follow the sampling design. Waves are pooled inside each country, so a correlation blends years. The report gives every estimate with its interval and sample size.
The American tie to party rose, except among Black respondents
The American National Election Studies (ANES) ask the question as four forced choices, each between an autonomy quality and an obedience quality, and its index is the mean of the obedience answers. Among white non-Hispanic respondents, the correlation of that index with party identification, a seven-point scale from strong Democrat to strong Republican with leanersPartisan leanerA respondent who first says they are independent but, when asked, says they lean toward one party. Most figures group leaners with the party they lean toward, and each chapter says which grouping it uses. included, was +0.04+0.04 correlation coefficient, from −1 to +1Estimandweighted correlation of the ANES child-rearing index with 7-point party identification (leaners included) among white non-Hispanic respondentsInterval95% CI −0.01 to 0.09n1,551Weightsweight (VCF0009z)Populationadults who answered the four child-rearing pairs and the outcomePeriod1992SourceANES Cumulative Data File in 1992 and +0.43+0.43 correlation coefficient, from −1 to +1Estimandweighted correlation of the ANES child-rearing index with 7-point party identification (leaners included) among white non-Hispanic respondentsInterval95% CI 0.38 to 0.47n3,379Weightsweight (VCF0009z)Populationadults who answered the four child-rearing pairs and the outcomePeriod2024SourceANES Cumulative Data File in 2024. Among Hispanic and other respondents, a residual group that grew as a share of the sample, it went from −0.12 (95% CI −0.25 to 0.02)−0.12 correlation coefficient, from −1 to +1Estimandweighted correlation of the ANES child-rearing index with 7-point party identification (leaners included) among Hispanic and other respondents (neither white nor Black non-Hispanic)Interval95% CI −0.25 to 0.02n206Weightsweight (VCF0009z)Populationadults who answered the four child-rearing pairs and the outcomePeriod1992SourceANES Cumulative Data File in 1992, an interval that includes zero, to +0.26 (95% CI 0.17 to 0.35)+0.26 correlation coefficient, from −1 to +1Estimandweighted correlation of the ANES child-rearing index with 7-point party identification (leaners included) among Hispanic and other respondents (neither white nor Black non-Hispanic)Interval95% CI 0.17 to 0.35n833Weightsweight (VCF0009z)Populationadults who answered the four child-rearing pairs and the outcomePeriod2024SourceANES Cumulative Data File in 2024. Among all respondents it reached +0.28+0.28 correlation coefficient, from −1 to +1Estimandweighted correlation of the ANES child-rearing index with 7-point party identification (leaners included)Interval95% CI 0.24 to 0.32n4,668Weightsweight (VCF0009z)Populationadults who answered the four child-rearing pairs and the outcomePeriod2024SourceANES Cumulative Data File in 2024. Each study after 2008 has a higher point estimate than the one before it, so the rise is a climb through successive studies rather than a single step.
Among Black non-Hispanic respondents the interval includes zero in every study but 2012, where it is −0.11 (95% CI −0.21 to −0.01)−0.11 correlation coefficient, from −1 to +1Estimandweighted correlation of the ANES child-rearing index with 7-point party identification (leaners included) among Black non-Hispanic respondentsInterval95% CI −0.21 to −0.01n949Weightsweight (VCF0009z)Populationadults who answered the four child-rearing pairs and the outcomePeriod2012SourceANES Cumulative Data File. In 2024 they score higher on the obedience side of the index than white non-Hispanic respondents do, and 7978.8 percent of respondentsEstimandweighted share identifying with the Democratic partyInterval95% CI 73.8 to 83.8n503Weightsweight (VCF0009z)PopulationBlack non-Hispanic adults, party identification 1 to 3 counted as Democratic (leaners included)Period2024SourceANES Cumulative Data File% of them identify as Democrats, leaners included. The rise in the all-respondent series therefore comes from the white group and the Hispanic and other group, and it is absent among Black respondents. Whether the four pairs mean the same thing to Black and white respondents, which researchers call measurement invariance, is disputed. Pérez and Hetherington report that the scale does not work the same way for the two groups [2]. A later study reports partial invariance in the 1992 to 2008 studies, with the respect-for-elders item working differently, and full invariance in 2012 and 2016 [3]. This chapter reports the groups separately and does not test invariance itself.
Figure 2
The correlation with party rose among white and Hispanic and other respondents and stayed near zero among Black respondents
Correlation of the child-rearing measure with party identification among ANES respondents, by race and study year, with 95% bands; the other views add liberal-conservative self-placement and the GSS
Show data
| Study year | Series | Respondents | Mode | Correlation | Interval low | Interval high | Respondents in cell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | ANES party | All respondents | All modes | −0.04 | −0.09 | 0.00 | 2,023 |
| 1992 | ANES party | White non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.04 | −0.01 | +0.09 | 1,551 |
| 1992 | ANES party | Black non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.02 | −0.11 | +0.14 | 261 |
| 1992 | ANES party | Hispanic and other | All modes | −0.12 | −0.25 | +0.02 | 206 |
| 1992 | ANES party | Net of college, age and white non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.06 | +0.02 | +0.11 | 1,971 |
| 1992 | ANES ideology | All respondents | All modes | +0.22 | +0.17 | +0.26 | 1,498 |
| 1992 | ANES ideology | White non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.28 | +0.23 | +0.33 | 1,217 |
| 1992 | ANES ideology | Black non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.07 | −0.09 | +0.23 | 147 |
| 1992 | ANES ideology | Hispanic and other | All modes | +0.14 | −0.03 | +0.30 | 131 |
| 1992 | ANES ideology | Net of college, age and white non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.24 | +0.19 | +0.29 | 1,457 |
| 2000 | ANES party | All respondents | All modes | 0.00 | −0.05 | +0.06 | 1,527 |
| 2000 | ANES party | White non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.08 | +0.02 | +0.14 | 1,184 |
| 2000 | ANES party | Black non-Hispanic | All modes | −0.03 | −0.21 | +0.15 | 151 |
| 2000 | ANES party | Hispanic and other | All modes | +0.02 | −0.15 | +0.18 | 183 |
| 2000 | ANES party | Net of college, age and white non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.08 | +0.02 | +0.14 | 1,510 |
| 2000 | ANES ideology | All respondents | All modes | +0.24 | +0.15 | +0.32 | 575 |
| 2000 | ANES ideology | White non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.24 | +0.15 | +0.34 | 470 |
| 2000 | ANES ideology | Net of college, age and white non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.23 | +0.15 | +0.32 | 568 |
| 2004 | ANES party | All respondents | All modes | +0.05 | −0.01 | +0.12 | 1,041 |
| 2004 | ANES party | White non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.17 | +0.09 | +0.25 | 741 |
| 2004 | ANES party | Black non-Hispanic | All modes | 0.00 | −0.18 | +0.18 | 152 |
| 2004 | ANES party | Hispanic and other | All modes | +0.09 | −0.10 | +0.28 | 132 |
| 2004 | ANES party | Net of college, age and white non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.14 | +0.07 | +0.21 | 1,025 |
| 2004 | ANES ideology | All respondents | All modes | +0.26 | +0.19 | +0.33 | 817 |
| 2004 | ANES ideology | White non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.32 | +0.24 | +0.39 | 614 |
| 2004 | ANES ideology | Net of college, age and white non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.25 | +0.18 | +0.32 | 810 |
| 2008 | ANES party | All respondents | All modes | +0.05 | 0.00 | +0.11 | 2,050 |
| 2008 | ANES party | White non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.16 | +0.09 | +0.23 | 1,022 |
| 2008 | ANES party | Black non-Hispanic | All modes | 0.00 | −0.10 | +0.10 | 484 |
| 2008 | ANES party | Hispanic and other | All modes | +0.08 | −0.03 | +0.19 | 524 |
| 2008 | ANES party | All respondents | Face-to-face | +0.05 | 0.00 | +0.11 | 2,050 |
| 2008 | ANES party | Net of college, age and white non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.14 | +0.09 | +0.20 | 1,994 |
| 2008 | ANES ideology | All respondents | All modes | +0.27 | +0.21 | +0.33 | 1,473 |
| 2008 | ANES ideology | White non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.32 | +0.25 | +0.38 | 815 |
| 2008 | ANES ideology | Black non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.21 | +0.08 | +0.33 | 266 |
| 2008 | ANES ideology | Hispanic and other | All modes | +0.27 | +0.14 | +0.40 | 378 |
| 2008 | ANES ideology | All respondents | Face-to-face | +0.27 | +0.21 | +0.33 | 1,473 |
| 2008 | ANES ideology | Net of college, age and white non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.28 | +0.22 | +0.34 | 1,433 |
| 2012 | ANES party | All respondents | All modes | +0.08 | +0.05 | +0.12 | 5,453 |
| 2012 | ANES party | White non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.21 | +0.17 | +0.25 | 3,255 |
| 2012 | ANES party | Black non-Hispanic | All modes | −0.11 | −0.21 | −0.01 | 949 |
| 2012 | ANES party | Hispanic and other | All modes | +0.06 | −0.02 | +0.15 | 1,233 |
| 2012 | ANES party | All respondents | Face-to-face | +0.05 | −0.02 | +0.11 | 1,888 |
| 2012 | ANES party | All respondents | Web | +0.10 | +0.06 | +0.14 | 3,565 |
| 2012 | ANES party | Net of college, age and white non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.16 | +0.13 | +0.20 | 5,329 |
| 2012 | ANES ideology | All respondents | All modes | +0.23 | +0.20 | +0.27 | 4,912 |
| 2012 | ANES ideology | White non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.31 | +0.27 | +0.35 | 3,100 |
| 2012 | ANES ideology | Black non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.12 | +0.01 | +0.23 | 752 |
| 2012 | ANES ideology | Hispanic and other | All modes | +0.17 | +0.08 | +0.26 | 1,047 |
| 2012 | ANES ideology | All respondents | Face-to-face | +0.20 | +0.13 | +0.27 | 1,365 |
| 2012 | ANES ideology | All respondents | Web | +0.24 | +0.20 | +0.29 | 3,547 |
| 2012 | ANES ideology | Net of college, age and white non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.25 | +0.21 | +0.28 | 4,805 |
| 2016 | ANES party | All respondents | All modes | +0.14 | +0.10 | +0.18 | 3,600 |
| 2016 | ANES party | White non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.29 | +0.25 | +0.33 | 2,601 |
| 2016 | ANES party | Black non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.02 | −0.11 | +0.15 | 338 |
| 2016 | ANES party | Hispanic and other | All modes | +0.03 | −0.07 | +0.12 | 643 |
| 2016 | ANES party | All respondents | Face-to-face | +0.11 | +0.04 | +0.18 | 1,038 |
| 2016 | ANES party | All respondents | Web | +0.15 | +0.11 | +0.20 | 2,562 |
| 2016 | ANES party | Net of college, age and white non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.20 | +0.16 | +0.24 | 3,482 |
| 2016 | ANES ideology | All respondents | All modes | +0.35 | +0.32 | +0.39 | 2,856 |
| 2016 | ANES ideology | White non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.42 | +0.38 | +0.46 | 2,175 |
| 2016 | ANES ideology | Black non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.22 | +0.05 | +0.38 | 200 |
| 2016 | ANES ideology | Hispanic and other | All modes | +0.26 | +0.16 | +0.36 | 467 |
| 2016 | ANES ideology | All respondents | Face-to-face | +0.32 | +0.24 | +0.39 | 821 |
| 2016 | ANES ideology | All respondents | Web | +0.37 | +0.32 | +0.41 | 2,035 |
| 2016 | ANES ideology | Net of college, age and white non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.34 | +0.30 | +0.38 | 2,760 |
| 2020 | ANES party | All respondents | All modes | +0.21 | +0.18 | +0.24 | 7,314 |
| 2020 | ANES party | White non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.40 | +0.37 | +0.43 | 5,332 |
| 2020 | ANES party | Black non-Hispanic | All modes | −0.03 | −0.14 | +0.08 | 638 |
| 2020 | ANES party | Hispanic and other | All modes | +0.12 | +0.05 | +0.20 | 1,280 |
| 2020 | ANES party | Net of college, age and white non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.25 | +0.22 | +0.28 | 6,929 |
| 2020 | ANES ideology | All respondents | All modes | +0.39 | +0.36 | +0.41 | 6,288 |
| 2020 | ANES ideology | White non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.47 | +0.44 | +0.50 | 4,764 |
| 2020 | ANES ideology | Black non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.16 | +0.03 | +0.28 | 425 |
| 2020 | ANES ideology | Hispanic and other | All modes | +0.34 | +0.26 | +0.41 | 1,049 |
| 2020 | ANES ideology | Net of college, age and white non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.37 | +0.34 | +0.40 | 5,966 |
| 2024 | ANES party | All respondents | All modes | +0.28 | +0.24 | +0.32 | 4,668 |
| 2024 | ANES party | White non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.43 | +0.38 | +0.47 | 3,379 |
| 2024 | ANES party | Black non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.05 | −0.08 | +0.18 | 418 |
| 2024 | ANES party | Hispanic and other | All modes | +0.26 | +0.17 | +0.35 | 833 |
| 2024 | ANES party | All respondents | Face-to-face | +0.29 | +0.21 | +0.38 | 905 |
| 2024 | ANES party | All respondents | Web | +0.26 | +0.20 | +0.32 | 1,736 |
| 2024 | ANES party | Net of college, age and white non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.31 | +0.27 | +0.35 | 4,429 |
| 2024 | ANES ideology | All respondents | All modes | +0.43 | +0.39 | +0.46 | 4,085 |
| 2024 | ANES ideology | White non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.51 | +0.47 | +0.54 | 3,067 |
| 2024 | ANES ideology | Black non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.25 | +0.09 | +0.39 | 290 |
| 2024 | ANES ideology | Hispanic and other | All modes | +0.41 | +0.32 | +0.49 | 694 |
| 2024 | ANES ideology | All respondents | Face-to-face | +0.45 | +0.37 | +0.53 | 784 |
| 2024 | ANES ideology | All respondents | Web | +0.44 | +0.38 | +0.49 | 1,473 |
| 2024 | ANES ideology | Net of college, age and white non-Hispanic | All modes | +0.41 | +0.37 | +0.45 | 3,866 |
| 1986 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | −0.03 | −0.11 | +0.06 | 728 |
| 1987 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | −0.05 | −0.11 | +0.01 | 1,776 |
| 1988 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | +0.03 | −0.04 | +0.10 | 975 |
| 1989 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | −0.04 | −0.11 | +0.03 | 985 |
| 1990 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | −0.02 | −0.10 | +0.06 | 861 |
| 1991 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | +0.03 | −0.04 | +0.10 | 970 |
| 1993 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | +0.04 | −0.03 | +0.11 | 1,016 |
| 1994 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | +0.02 | −0.04 | +0.07 | 1,914 |
| 1996 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | +0.04 | −0.01 | +0.09 | 1,856 |
| 1998 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | 0.00 | −0.05 | +0.05 | 1,830 |
| 2000 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | +0.02 | −0.03 | +0.07 | 1,817 |
| 2002 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | +0.02 | −0.06 | +0.09 | 876 |
| 2004 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | −0.03 | −0.11 | +0.05 | 856 |
| 2004 | GSS party | All respondents | Face-to-face | 0.00 | −0.09 | +0.09 | 692 |
| 2006 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | +0.06 | −0.02 | +0.14 | 980 |
| 2006 | GSS party | All respondents | Face-to-face | +0.07 | −0.01 | +0.15 | 918 |
| 2008 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | +0.08 | +0.01 | +0.14 | 1,319 |
| 2008 | GSS party | All respondents | Face-to-face | +0.08 | +0.01 | +0.15 | 1,169 |
| 2010 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | −0.03 | −0.10 | +0.04 | 1,312 |
| 2010 | GSS party | All respondents | Face-to-face | −0.04 | −0.11 | +0.03 | 1,170 |
| 2012 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | +0.07 | 0.00 | +0.13 | 1,274 |
| 2012 | GSS party | All respondents | Face-to-face | +0.06 | −0.01 | +0.14 | 1,109 |
| 2014 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | +0.04 | −0.02 | +0.09 | 1,620 |
| 2014 | GSS party | All respondents | Face-to-face | +0.03 | −0.03 | +0.10 | 1,391 |
| 2016 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | +0.11 | +0.05 | +0.16 | 1,860 |
| 2016 | GSS party | All respondents | Face-to-face | +0.12 | +0.06 | +0.18 | 1,735 |
| 2018 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | +0.10 | +0.03 | +0.16 | 1,470 |
| 2018 | GSS party | All respondents | Face-to-face | +0.08 | +0.02 | +0.15 | 1,320 |
| 2021 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | +0.12 | +0.07 | +0.16 | 2,479 |
| 2021 | GSS party | All respondents | Web | +0.12 | +0.07 | +0.17 | 2,171 |
| 2022 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | +0.12 | +0.05 | +0.18 | 2,209 |
| 2022 | GSS party | All respondents | Face-to-face | +0.11 | +0.01 | +0.20 | 962 |
| 2022 | GSS party | All respondents | Web | +0.13 | +0.03 | +0.22 | 1,042 |
| 2024 | GSS party | All respondents | All modes | +0.13 | +0.07 | +0.19 | 2,045 |
| 2024 | GSS party | All respondents | Face-to-face | +0.12 | +0.01 | +0.22 | 691 |
| 2024 | GSS party | All respondents | Web | +0.18 | +0.10 | +0.26 | 1,135 |
The colored white line climbs from near zero in 1992 to the highest value in 2024. The colored Black line stays near zero, and its band crosses zero in every study but 2012. The grey lines are Hispanic and other respondents, whose line rises from a point below zero in 1992, with an interval that includes zero, to a clearly positive value in 2024, and all respondents, dashed. Each point is one presidential-year study and the bands are 95% intervals. Values in Table 7.
The rise also appears when a college degree, age and whether the respondent is white non-Hispanic are held fixed. The 2024 value is positive in both the face-to-face and the web samples, so it does not come from one interview modeSurvey modeHow respondents were interviewed: in person, by phone, on paper or online. Mode can change answers, so a change in mode can look like a change in opinion.. The General Social Survey (GSS), which asks respondents to rank obeying against thinking for oneself, gives a second American series whose correlation with party is near zero through 2014 and higher from 2016 to 2024. The average score on the ANES index fell over the same period, so respondents chose the obedience answer less often even as it lined up more closely with party.
The obedience side is more morally conservative
The child-rearing score is more closely tied to moral attitudes than to the left-right label. Across countries, its median correlation with a moral-conservatism index built from the justifiability of homosexuality, abortion and divorce is +0.13+0.13 correlation coefficient, from −1 to +1Estimandmedian across countries of the correlation of the full index with a moral-conservatism index (justifiability of homosexuality, abortion and divorce, reversed)Interval95% CI 0.10 to 0.16n102Weightsweight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationcountries with usable correlations for all three measures with moral attitudesPeriodfieldwork 2005-2023SourceWorld Values Survey and EVS, against the median for left-right placement given above. Figure 3 compares respondents on the autonomy side of the score with those on the obedience side, country by country and then averaged across a fixed panel of countries. Respondents on the obedience side are more often socially conservative. They more often name homosexuals, immigrants or people of another race as unwanted neighbors, and they more often call a strong leader who bypasses parliament, or army rule, a good way to run the country. Every gap is above zero, and the largest is for moral conservatism. These are differences between groups of respondents, and they show what occurs together. Chapter 5.3, Support for democracy takes up support for strong rule directly.
Figure 3
Every attitude is more common on the obedience side of the index, and the gap is largest for moral conservatism
Share holding each attitude among respondents on the autonomy side and the obedience side of the index, average of country shares (each country counted once); 95% bootstrap intervals; WVS and EVS fieldwork 2005-2023
- Autonomy side of the index
- Obedience side of the index
Show data
| Attitude | Definition | Autonomy side, percent | Autonomy interval low | Autonomy interval high | Obedience side, percent | Obedience interval low | Obedience interval high | Gap, points | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socially conservative (homosexuality, abortion, divorce) | Mean of 4 or lower on the 1 to 10 justifiability of homosexuality, abortion and divorce | 57.1 | 51.9 | 62.0 | 70.9 | 67.6 | 74.2 | 13.8 | 97 |
| Does not want homosexuals as neighbors | Names homosexuals as people they would not want as neighbors | 46.4 | 41.1 | 51.5 | 54.1 | 49.5 | 58.7 | 7.7 | 100 |
| Does not want immigrants as neighbors | Names immigrants or foreign workers as people they would not want as neighbors | 22.7 | 20.1 | 25.3 | 25.5 | 22.9 | 28.4 | 2.8 | 102 |
| Does not want people of another race as neighbors | Names people of a different race as people they would not want as neighbors | 17.9 | 15.5 | 20.4 | 20.8 | 18.5 | 23.3 | 2.9 | 102 |
| Strong leader bypassing parliament is good | Says a strong leader who does not bother with parliament and elections is a good or very good way to run the country | 45.0 | 41.0 | 48.8 | 49.2 | 45.6 | 52.7 | 4.2 | 99 |
| Army rule is good | Says army rule is a good or very good way to run the country | 25.3 | 22.0 | 28.8 | 29.5 | 26.4 | 32.9 | 4.3 | 99 |
In every row the obedience-side dot sits to the right of the autonomy-side dot, and the moral-conservatism row has the largest gap, 1413.8 percentage pointsEstimandmean across countries of the share a mean of 4 or lower on the justifiability of homosexuality, abortion and divorce, obedience side minus autonomy side of the full index (bootstrap over countries)Interval95% CI 11.4 to 16.5n97Weightsweight (S017) within each country; every country counted once across countriesPopulationrespondents in the fixed panel of countries, with an index score other than zeroPeriodfieldwork 2005-2023SourceWorld Values Survey and EVS points. Each dot is the average across countries of the share holding the attitude, and the lines are 95% intervals from a bootstrap over countries. Values in Table 8.
What these correlations cannot tell you
Each correlation comes from one interview per person, so it cannot show whether valuing obedience shapes placement, whether placement or party shapes the answers about children, or whether something else shapes both. The ANES and GSS are repeated cross-sections, so the American rise is a change in how the measure lines up with party. The data cannot say whether people changed parties, the parties changed or the composition of each party changed. The WVS checklist, the ANES forced choices, the GSS ranking and the ESS values battery are related but different instruments, and the countries are those the surveys reached, not a sample of the world. The link between the disposition and politics is thought to depend on perceived threat [1], which this chapter does not test; Planned, Order, security and threat (planned) takes up the threat measures.
Go deeper
- The report: every estimate with its interval and sample size.
- Tables: every figure of the report as a table.
- World values: the explorer for this part.
Reading paths that include this chapter:
Data sources
- World Values Survey and EVSWorld Values Survey and European Values Study, fieldwork 2005-2023: child-quality checklist, left-right, moral, neighbor and political-system itemsYears: 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.
- European Social SurveyEuropean Social Survey rounds 3 to 10: Schwartz conservation values and left-rightYears: 2002-2023 (rounds 1 to 11; round 11 was fielded in 2023 and 2024) · Weights: analysis weight within each country · License: Open access after free registration in the ESS Data Portal; follow the ESS data citation requirements.
- ANES Cumulative Data FileANES Cumulative Data File 1992-2024, presidential-year studies: forced-choice child-rearing pairs, party identification, ideologyYears: 1948-2024 (33 study years; even years only after 2004; no 2006, 2010 or 2014 study) · Weights: weight (VCF0009z); weight_ftf and weight_web for the mode views · License: Free download after accepting the ANES terms of use; cite the release.
- General Social SurveyGeneral Social Survey 1986-2024: obey and think-for-oneself rankings, party identificationYears: 1972-2024 (35 study years) · Weights: weight_use · License: See the provider's terms of use.
References
- Stenner, Karen (2005). The Authoritarian Dynamic. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511614712
- Pérez, Efrén O.; Hetherington, Marc J. (2014). Authoritarianism in Black and White: Testing the Cross-Racial Validity of the Child Rearing Scale. Political Analysis 22(3): 398-412. doi:10.1093/pan/mpu002
- Fialho, Fabrício M. (2026). Reassessing Racial Differences in Authoritarianism in the United States: Measurement Invariance and Group Comparisons Using the ANES Child-Rearing Values Scale. Public Opinion Quarterly. doi:10.1093/poq/nfag020
How to cite
@misc{singh2026theobedienceautonomydisposition,
author = {Singh, Vishal},
title = {The obedience-autonomy disposition},
year = {2026},
url = {https://vishalsingh.org/politics/the-obedience-autonomy-disposition},
note = {In The Public Mind. Published 30 September 2026.}
}