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Personal Values and Public Opinion

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  • H. Whitt Kilburn

Abstract

Objective. Social science considers values a key motivator of human behavior, yet studies of values in public opinion have tended to focus on more limited political values. I investigate how a general theory of human values (Schwartz, 1992) shapes public opinion. In one dimension, individuals are motivated by a desire for independent thought and action versus conformity to traditional social norms; in the second, individuals are motivated by a desire to care for others versus control or achieve superior social status over them. Methods. Statistical analysis of the European Social Survey, nationally representative surveys in 15 western European nations. Results. Human values are systematically related to a citizen's left‐right self‐identification, displaying appropriate sensitivity to party system context in Scandinavia, and explaining attitudes toward ethnic minority immigration, even when controlling for reasonable alternate explanations. Conclusion. Personal values along these two dimensions of social conflict merit further attention as sources of public opinion.

Suggested Citation

  • H. Whitt Kilburn, 2009. "Personal Values and Public Opinion," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 90(4), pages 868-885, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:90:y:2009:i:4:p:868-885
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6237.2009.00667.x
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    1. Macdonald, Stuart Elaine & Listhaug, Ola & Rabinowitz, George, 1991. "Issues and Party Support in Multiparty Systems," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 85(4), pages 1107-1131, December.
    2. William G. Jacoby, 2006. "Value Choices and American Public Opinion," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 50(3), pages 706-723, July.
    3. Barker, David C. & Tinnick, James D., 2006. "Competing Visions of Parental Roles and Ideological Constraint," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 100(2), pages 249-263, May.
    4. Paul Goren, 2005. "Party Identification and Core Political Values," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 49(4), pages 881-896, October.
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    2. Agnieszka Turska-Kawa & Irena Pilch, 2022. "Political beliefs and the acceptance of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic restrictions. The case of Poland," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(3), pages 1-25, March.
    3. Tausch, Arno, 2015. "Hofstede, Inglehart and beyond. New directions in empirical global value research," MPRA Paper 64282, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 11 May 2015.
    4. Rodney C. Runyan & Jeffrey G. Covin, 2019. "Small Business Orientation: A Construct Proposal," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 43(3), pages 529-552, May.
    5. Cem Baslevent & Hasan Kirmanoğlu, 2012. "Do Preferences for Job Attributes Provide Evidence of 'Hierarchy of Needs'," Working Papers 201201, Murat Sertel Center for Advanced Economic Studies, Istanbul Bilgi University.

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