World Values Survey

World Values Survey-University of Michigan

WWS seeks to investigate socio-cultural and political change on a global scale. The WVS project explores the hypothesis that mass belief systems are changing in ways that have important economic, political and social consequences.

University of Michigan, United States. In most cases, the fieldwork for the individual surveys is supported by funding from within the given country.

The WVS is cited in academic studies (e.g. a source book entitled “Human Beliefs and Values”) and used for educational courses. Website allows users to “…browse
through the 3-wave codebook, run frequencies or cross-tabulations; compare means; run correlations and multiple regressions, as well as Logit/Probit analyses; and list individual cases. They can also download the dataset and documentation, or a customized subset of variables or cases.”

Survey data

Global 65 countries

For more information contact Ronald Inglehart: rfi@umich.edu

The WVS relies on completed survey questionnaires from the individual society (65 societies participated in the latest wave of surveys 2001) with a minimum sample of 1000 persons interviewed. Each participating group gets immediate access to the data from all of the other participating societies. Cross-country comparisons and regional comparisons are made on the bases of the individual surveys.

Survey results presented in % of population. Codebook provides instructions about interview techniques.
 

This survey provides an extensive range of information into attitudes of the global population.

The WVS questionnaire form has changed during the 4 survey waves, which means that not all values and beliefs can be measured over time. Several questions are adaptable to national context (e.g. attitude to UN is only measured in European countries), which also means that caution should be used for country comparison or statements on global values or beliefs.

The WVS is a decentralized survey network, so it is assumed that all participating surveyors use the same statistical method and scientific rigour for the national surveys.