Changing Values and Beliefs in 85 Countries: Trends from the Values Surveys from 1981 to 2004

This book presents the trends in beliefs and values of people in 85 countries around the world from 1981 to 2004. Based on survey data collected in 1981-1984 and 1989-1993 by the European Values Study, the 1995-1997 World Values Surveys and the 1999-2004 European Values Study and World Values Surveys, it examines trends in human values concerning economics, politics, religion, family, gender roles, civic engagement and ethical concerns and important contemporary issues such as the environment, technology, identity, life satisfaction and human happiness. It is a valuable tool for understanding the cultural patterns of countries and how human values are changing. It will be useful to social scientists, journalists, business executives, politicians and policy-makers working in an increasingly globalized world.

Loek Halman, Ph.D. (1991), Tilburg University, is Associate Professor of Sociology at the Department of Social Cultural Sciences at the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Tilburg University. He is general secretary to the European Values Study Foundation and Program Director of the European Values Study. His research deals with issues of modernization, individualization, and secularization of (Western) societies, attitudes and values.
Ronald Inglehart, Ph.D. (1967), University of Chicago, is professor of political science and program director at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. He helped found the Euro-Barometer surveys and directs the World Values Survey. His research deals with changing belief systems and their impact on social and political change.
Jaime Díez-Medrano, Eng. (1987), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, is the president of JD Systems, director of the ASEP/JDS Archive and responsible of the World Values Survey data cleaning since 2000. He participated in the construction of the WVS1995 and WVS2000 official files and the construction of the four wave EVS/WVS aggregate. He is expert in data dissemination.
Ruud Luijkx, Ph.D. (1994), Tilburg University, is Lecturer of Sociology at Tilburg University, the Netherlands, and data manager for the European Values Study. He is co-responsible for the construction of the 1981-2004 EVS/WVS aggregate file. He has published on inter- and intragenerational social mobility, social inequality and stratification, the dynamics of value change and on categorical data analysis.
Alejandro Moreno, Ph.D. (1997), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is professor of political science at the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM), and head of the department of surveys at newspaper Reforma, both in Mexico City. His main publications and current research deal with public opinion, voting behavior, and political values in Mexico and other new democracies. Miguel Basáñez, Ph.D. (1990), London School of Economics, is president of Global Quality Research Corp, an international survey research firm based in Princeton, NJ, USA. He helped found the Latin-Barometer (1995) and the Asia-Barometer (2004) and is member of the World Values Survey’s Steering Committee. His research deals with changing belief systems and their impact on social and political change.