The French Exception: A Survey‐by‐Survey Account

Abstract

AbstractThe European Social Survey and the values theories of Shalom Schwartz provide a robust conceptual framework to compare values espoused in 21 European countries. The case of France sheds light on contemporary challenges to European Union (EU) policy, considering a mounting populist base that struggles for preserving national identity problematized by a changing employment market, globalization, and immigration headlines. In light of the European Social Survey’s human values data for 21 European nations and other mainstream cross‐cultural surveys, France is a striking example of a mature democracy confronted with core identity challenges, asserting one worldview in its macro‐economic orientation but another in the street and public forum. France provides an interesting barometer within Europe, where antagonisms between the polity and the people exacerbate EU integration, challenging the priorities of political leadership in a struggle to modify historical arrangements that no longer prove feasible.