Within and Between-Country Value Diversity in Europe: Latent Class Analysis

37 Pages Posted: 26 Feb 2012 Last revised: 1 Dec 2012

See all articles by Vladimir Magun

Vladimir Magun

National Research University Higher School of Economics (Moscow); Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) - The Institute of Sociology

Maksim Rudnev

National Research University Higher School of Economics (Moscow); Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) - The Institute of Sociology

Peter Schmidt

University of Giessen; National Research University Higher School of Economics (Moscow)

Date Written: February 24, 2012

Abstract

In order to combine a study of within-country value diversity and cross-country differences, we applied a person-centered approach. Instead of focusing on the distinct value items, respondents from the 33 European countries were classified on the basis of the whole set of Schwartz value items (Portrait Values Questionnaire) by means of Latent Class Analysis. Six Pan-European value classes were found; they differ both by rank of values and degree of value preferences. Surprisingly, a class with the least pronounced value preferences appeared to be the largest one (38%).

In each country all six value classes are represented. Nordic and Western European countries have more uniform distributions of value class shares than Post-Communist and Mediterranean countries; this is suggested to be an implication of societal developmental processes which start from the few people who commit themselves to the values of more advanced countries.

Keywords: value, preference, heterogeneity, fractionalization, latent class analysis, European Social Survey (ESS), Portrait Values Questionnaire, cross-national comparison

JEL Classification: Z10

Suggested Citation

Magun, Vladimir and Rudnev, Maksim and Schmidt, Peter, Within and Between-Country Value Diversity in Europe: Latent Class Analysis (February 24, 2012). Higher School of Economics Research Paper No. WP BRP 06/SOC/2012, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2011004 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2011004

Vladimir Magun (Contact Author)

National Research University Higher School of Economics (Moscow) ( email )

Myasnitskaya street, 20
Moscow, Moscow 119017
Russia

Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) - The Institute of Sociology

Moscow
Russia

Maksim Rudnev

National Research University Higher School of Economics (Moscow) ( email )

Myasnitskaya street, 20
Moscow, Moscow 119017
Russia

Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) - The Institute of Sociology

Moscow
Russia

Peter Schmidt

University of Giessen ( email )

Betriebswirtschaftslehre VII
Giessen, 35394
Germany

National Research University Higher School of Economics (Moscow)

Myasnitskaya street, 20
Moscow, Moscow 119017
Russia

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