World Value Survey

Summary

From the WVS website (https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSContents.jsp):

"The WVS consists of nationally representative surveys conducted in almost 100 countries which contain almost 90 percent of the world’s population, using a common questionnaire. The WVS is the largest non-commercial, cross-national, time series investigation of human beliefs and values ever executed, currently including interviews with almost 400,000 respondents. Moreover the WVS is the only academic study covering the full range of global variations, from very poor to very rich countries, in all of the world’s major cultural zones."

The WVS has collected data in a series of waves that are now scheduled to occur every 5 years, and each survey has been conducted in more countries than the previous survey. Each survey ranges across multiple years because that is how long that takes to collect survey data in so many countries.

Wave 1 collected data on 11 countries from 1981-1984.

Wave 2 is from 1990-1994.

Wave 3 is from 1995-1998.

Wave 4 is from 1999-2004.

Wave 5 is from 2005-2009.

Wave 6 is from 2010-2014.

Wave 7 collected data on 80 countries from 2017-2022.

Wave 8 is planned for 2024-2026.

The IFs model currently has 113 series which use WVS data. Not all of the series use data that is included in the latest wave(s).

IFs Series Included in Wave 7

MatPMTop

- Percent high on Materialist/Postmaterialist scale (4 or 5)

- WVS Code Y002

UnitedNations

- Confidence in United Nations (1=great deal; 4=none at all)

- WVS Code E069_20

RespectAuthPercent

- Percent saying more respect for authority would be good

- WVS Code E018

GodImprtPercent

- Percent saying God is very important

- WVS Code F063

HomoJustifPercent

- Percent saying that homosexuality is never justified

- WVS Code F118

AbortJustifPercent

- Percent saying that abortion is never justified

- WVS Code F118

PMMinMatPercent

- Percent postmaterialist minus percent materialist

- WVS Code Y002

TradSRTop

- Percent in top quartile on Traditiona/SecularRational Values

- WVS Code Y010

DemocBest

- 1=Strongly agree democracy best, 4=Strongly disagree

- WVS Code E214

WVSIncomeEqual

- 10 point index of Income inequality: 1=Incomes should be made more equal , 10= We need larger income differences as incentives for individual effort

- WVS Code E035

WVSHomoJustif

- a 10 point scale index asking whether homosexuality is justifiable. 1 being never justifiable, 10 being always justifiable.

- WVS Code: F118

WVSGodImprt

- Index from 1 to 10 of how Important is God in the respondents life. 1= Not at all, 10= Very

- WVS Code: F063

WVSGodBelief

- Belief in: God? 1= Yes 2=No

- WVS Code: F050

WVSFreeChoice&Control

- 10 point index of how much freedom of choice do one has about their life. 1= none at all, 10=a great deal

- WVS Code: A173

WVSEmployment

- Are you employed now or not? If yes, about how many hours a week? If more than one job: only for the main job. 1=full time (>30 hours/week), 2= Part time employee (<30), 3= self employed, 4= Retired/pensioned, 5= Housewife not otherwise employed, 6=student

- WVS Code: X028

WVSEducLevel

- Highest education level attained? 1= no formal education, 2=less than primary, 3= primary…  9= University degree

- WVS Code: X025A_01

WVSDivorJustif

- a 10 point scale index asking whether divorce is justifiable. 1 being never justifiable, 10 being always justifiable.

- F121

WVSPolInterest

- Interest in Politics: 1=Very interested, 2= some interest, 3= not very interested 4=Not at all interested

- WVS Code: E023

WVSNeighborForeignWork

- Mention if you would not like to have these people as neighbors: Immigrants/Foreign workers. 1= Mentioned, 2=Not Mentioned

- WVS Code: A124_06

WVSNeighborDifRace

- Mention if you would not like to have these people as neighbors: People of a different race. 1= Mentioned, 2=Not Mentioned

- WVS Code: A124_02

WVSNationProud

- How proud are you to be [Nationality]? 1= Very Proud, 2=Quite proud, 3= Not very proud,  4= Not at all Proud

- WVS Code: G006

WVSNationalsWork

- Agree or disagree with: When jobs are scarce, employers should give priority to people of this country over immigrants. 1= Agree, 2= Neither,  3=Disagree

- WVS Code: C002

WVSMenLeaders

- To what extent do you agree with: On the whole, men make better political leaders than women do. 1= Agree Strongly, 2= Agree, 3= Disagree, 4=Strongly Disagree

- WVS Code: D059

WVSMatPMat4

- Post-Materialist index 4-item: 1=Materialist, 2=Mixed, 3=Post-Materialist

- WVS Code: Y002

WVSMatPMat12

- Post-Materialist index 12-item: 0=Materialist, 5=Post-Materialist

- Y001

WVSJustifCheatTax

- Justifiable: Someone cheating on their taxes? 1= Never, 10= Always

- WVS Code: F116

WVSSelfPosOnPolScale

- index from 1 to 10 of self positioning on left-right political scale: 1= Left, 10= Right

- E033

WVSSignedPetit

- Political action: Signing a petition 1=Have done, 2=Might do, 3=Would never

- WVS Code: E025

WVSEnvironOrg

- Active/inactive member of an environmental organization (code before w3/code after w3)? 3/0=not a member , 2/1=inactive member, 1/2= active member

- WVS Code: A103

WVSSatisLife

- index from 1 to 10 of Satisfaction with life: 1=Completely dissatisfied, 10=Completely satisfied

- WVS Code: A170

WVSWomenEd

- University education more important for a boy than a girl? 1=Strongly agree, 2= Agree, 3= Disagree, 4=Strongly disagree

- WVS Code: D060

WVSPolParty

- Active/inactive member of a political party (code before w3/code after w3)? 3/0=not a member , 2/1=inactive member, 1/2= active member

- WVS Code: A102

Series not included in Wave 7

SurvSETop

- Percent in top quartile on Survival/Self-expression Values

- A043B

WVSIdealFamSize

- 10 point index asking: what do you think is the ideal size of the family - how many children, if any? 1= none , 10=10+ children

- WVS Code D017

WVSForeignAid

- How much more foreign aid do you think this country should contribute? 1= about 1.5x as much, 2= about 2x, 3= about 3x, 4= about 4x, 5=more than 4x as much, -3=not applicable

- WVS Code: E129B

WVSEnvironRecycle

- In the last 12 months Have you chosen household products that you think are better for the environment? 1= have, 2=have not

- WVS Code: B002

WVSEnvironProduct

- In the last 12 months Have you chosen household products that you think are better for the environment? 1= have, 2=have not

- B011

WVSWomenWork

- Husband and wife should both contribute to income? 1=Strongly agree, 2= Agree, 3=Disagree, 4= Strongly Disagree

- WVS Code: D058

WVSEnvironPayMore

- I would buy things as 20% higher prices if it helped protect the environment. 1=strongly agree, 2=agree, 3=disagree, 4=strongly disagree

- WVS Code: B004

WVSEnvironMastery

- Whic

h statement do you agree with. 1=Human Beings should master Nature, 2= Human Beings should coexist with Nature

- WVS Code: B009

WVSEnvironContrib

- In the last 12 months, have you contributed to an environmental organization? 1= have done, 2= have not

- WVS Code: B015

WVSEnvironAgree

- How strongly agree with: environmental problems can be solved without any int'l agreements, 1=Strongly agree, 2= agree, 3= disagree, 4=Strongly disagree

- WVS Code: B010

WVSEnvironAction

- In the last 12 months, have you attended a meeting or signed a letter or petition aimed at protecting the environment? 1=have done, 2= have not

- B014

WVSDiscussPol

- When with friends how often do you discuss politics? 1=Frequently, 2= Occasionally, 3=Never

- WVS Code: E111

WVSDemocGood

- Democracy as a political system for governing a country. 1= Very good, 2=fairly good, 3=fairly bad, 4=Very bad

- WVS Code: E214

WVSCorruptOffs

- What is the extent of political corruption? Almost no public officials engage in it=1, a few are=2, most are=3, Almost all public officials engage in it = 4

- WVS Code: E196

WVSConfTV

- How much confidence do you have in TV? 1= A great deal, 2=Quite a lot , 3= not very much , 4= none at all

- WVS Code: E069_49

WVSSatisOfficHol

- Satisfaction with people in national office: 1= Very Satisfied, 2=Fairly satisfied, 3=Fairly dissatisfied 4=Very dissatisfied

- WVS Code: E125

WVSThnkLifPurp

- Think about meaning and purpose of life: 1=Often, 4=Never

- WVS Code: F001

WVSSexFreedom

- Should individuals have the chance to enjoy complete sexual freedom without being restricted? 1=Agree, 2=Neither, 3=Disagree

- WVS Code: D024