This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 0022022108318112v1 39/4/345    most recent References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Google Scholar Articles by Fontaine, J. R. J. Articles by Schwartz, S. H. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Structural Equivalence of the Values Domain Across Cultures

Distinguishing Sampling Fluctuations From Meaningful Variation

Ghent University, Belgium, Johnny.Fontaine{at}UGent.be

Ype H. Poortinga

Tilburg University, the Netherlands, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium

Luc Delbeke

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium

Shalom H. Schwartz

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

The authors examine the cross-cultural equivalence of the internal structure of the values domain, as measured by the Schwartz Value Survey. Data come from 38 countries, each represented by a student and a teacher sample. In seeking to distinguish lack of fit of the theorized value model from a lack of equivalence in the data and the impact of random sampling fluctuations from valid structural differences, the authors find the following: (a) The Schwartz value theory provides an excellent representation of the average value structure across samples; (b) sampling fluctuation causes deviations from this average structure; (c) sampling fluctuation cannot account for all these deviations; (d) samples of students fit the overall value structure better than samples of teachers, and samples from Western countries better than those from non-Western countries; and (e) the deviations from the average structure exhibit a systematic pattern: the higher the level of societal development of a country, the greater the contrast between protection and growth values.

Key Words: values • structural equivalence • Schwartz Value Survey

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. Davidov, P. Schmidt, and S. H. Schwartz Bringing Values Back In: The Adequacy of the European Social Survey to Measure Values in 20 Countries Public Opin Q, August 21, 2008; (2008) nfn035v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]