Traditional Values in American Win Over Secular ValuesSocieties and individuals may be categorized in a number of ways, say studies by the World Values Survey.
WVS is an international research program devoted to the scientific and academic study of social, political, economic, religious and cultural values of people in the world.
"The WVS has over the years demonstrated that people’s beliefs play a key role in economic development, the emergence and flourishing of democratic institutions, the rise of gender equality, and the extent to which societies have effective government."
"The WVS has over the years demonstrated that people’s beliefs play a key role in economic development, the emergence and flourishing of democratic institutions, the rise of gender equality, and the extent to which societies have effective government."
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The WVS defines "Traditional Values" as emphasizing the importance of religion, parent-child ties, deference to authority and traditional family values. The WVS says, "People who embrace these values also reject divorce, abortion, euthanasia and suicide. These societies have high levels of national pride and a nationalistic outlook."
"Secular-rational Value" societies, on the other hand, have the opposite preferences. WVS explains, "These societies place less emphasis on religion, traditional family values and authority. Divorce, abortion, euthanasia and suicide are seen as relatively acceptable."
"Survival Values" place emphasis on economic and physical security, as defined by the WVS. It is linked with a relative outlook when individuals apply their own culture or ethnicity as a frame of reference to judge other cultures, practices, behaviors, beliefs, and people.
The WVS has produced graphics every five years that demonstrate how countries' values seem to move from agrarian societies that are mostly with traditional values and use survival values to organize the societal governments.
The WVS defines "Traditional Values" as emphasizing the importance of religion, parent-child ties, deference to authority and traditional family values. The WVS says, "People who embrace these values also reject divorce, abortion, euthanasia and suicide. These societies have high levels of national pride and a nationalistic outlook."
"Secular-rational Value" societies, on the other hand, have the opposite preferences. WVS explains, "These societies place less emphasis on religion, traditional family values and authority. Divorce, abortion, euthanasia and suicide are seen as relatively acceptable."
The results of the 2024 election indicated that the majority of Americans seems to be aligned with the "Traditional Values," especially it seems in deference to authority and the importance of religion, for example. Democratic voters, on the other hand, had values more aligned with "Secular-rational" and were out voted by the Republicans.
"Survival Values" place emphasis on economic and physical security, as defined by the WVS. It is linked with a relative outlook when individuals apply their own culture or ethnicity as a frame of reference to judge other cultures, practices, behaviors, beliefs, and people.
On the opposite side of "Survival Values" is "Self-expression Values" giving high priority to environmental protection, growing tolerance of foreigners, gays and lesbians and gender equality, and is indicated in society by rising demands for participation in decision-making in economic and political life.
The Republican voters of the 2024 election indicated a preference for the "Survival Values" side of the equation, that is, in opposition to tolerance of foreigners, and opposition to gender equality for example. The Democratic voters were more aligned with "Self-expression Values" for tolerance and gender equality and environmental protection values and were out voted by those with "Survival Values" of keeping out foreigners and lower tolerance for liberal values.
Agrarian countries have "traditional" and "survival" values. Examples are some African and Islamic states.
As countries become more industrialized, the values shift more toward the "self-expression" values, no longer needing the security of the strict "survival values" of the agricultural societies. Examples are some west and east Asian countries.
And finally, as the country moves towards a service industry and away from an industrial society, the values of self-expression and secular-rational become operative. Examples are some European and English speaking countries.
(Click on World Cultural Map 2023 at right for examples of countries categorized by "values")
More information about World Values Survey - https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSContents.jsp
Since 1981 WVS has operated in 120 countries, conducting worldwide surveys every five years.
Electoral Map source: Wikipedia Nov. 6, 2024
The Inglehart-Welzel World Cultural Map - World Values Survey 7 (2023). Source: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/More information about World Values Survey - https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSContents.jsp
