World Values Research Articles

Understanding the Socioeconomic Determinants of Religiosity and Religious Participation in Asia

While there has been much research on the effect of religiosity on physical and mental health, the socioeconomic determinants of religiosity are not well understood. Using data from different waves of the World Values Survey, this paper analyzes the socioeconomic patterns and determinants of religiosity in nine Asian countries—China, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The analysis suggests that religiosity varies significantly with age and sex, as well as with relative income, absolute income, socioeconomic status, education, and employment status. There are large differences in “innate” religiosity across the nine countries even after controlling for these socioeconomic characteristics. The results thus suggest that some of the widely observed effects of religiosity on health in the literature may simply reflect the associations of religiosity with background variables like education and socioeconomic status.

“Trust but verify” financial inclusion in the MENA region

Using data from the World Value and Financial Access Surveys from 2010 to 2021 in 13 countries in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region, this study investigates the nonlinear impact of general trust (GT) and confidence in banks (CIB) on financial inclusion (FI). In addition, it investigates whether bank risk-taking reinforces the negative effect between trust and financial inclusion. We also estimate a generalized quantile regression, and its results indicate a nonlinear (U-shaped) relationship between GT and FI and a nonlinear (Inverted U-shaped) relationship between CIB and FI. In addition, bank risk-taking strengthens the negative relationship between GT and FI. This is one of the first studies to investigate the relationship between general trust and financial inclusion with a nonlinear regression. Because the MENA region differs from others in terms of culture and religion, our results vary from those in prior papers on non-MENA countries.

Equity capital financing of Swedish SMEs, innovation, and decentralized management

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential link between Sweden’s high reliance on equity capital financing among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and its recognition as the most innovative economy in Europe according to the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS). This paper examines the idea that the high levels of trust within Swedish society can explain why private equity financing is more prevalent among Swedish SMEs. Design/methodology/approach To test these ideas, the authors use data from the Survey on Access to Finance for Enterprises to measure the private equity reliance of firms. The authors also use the EIS to measure the innovation capacity of nations and various aspects of SMEs’ innovation activities. Finally, societal levels of trust are measured through the World Value Survey. Findings First, the authors find that European countries with a higher proportion of SMEs relying on equity financing tend to be ranked as more innovative by the EIS. Second, the authors find that the correlation between a nation’s share of SMEs relying on equity financing and their level of innovation activities is marginally stronger for product innovations than for business process innovations. Third, the authors find that countries with higher levels of trust tend to have higher equity capital reliance among SMEs. Originality/value This study builds upon previous research on equity capital and SMEs’ innovation activity while introducing new insights into the relationship between societal trust and equity financing.

Innovative education on students’ anxiety from ideological and political perspective

BackgroundIdeological and political education, as an important part of cultivating students’ correct world outlook and values, has attracted much attention. However, there is a lack of sufficient research into the influence of first-class ideological and political education courses on students’ learning anxiety.Research objects and MethodsThis study took the first-class curriculum innovation of ideological and political education as the research direction, selected students receiving ideological and political education as the research objects, and used tools such as Stanford Acute Stress Response Questionnaire (SASRQ) and 3-minute Disorder Assessment Scale (3D-CAM) to assess students’ learning anxiety symptoms. The State statistical analysis method was used to compare the changes of learning anxiety symptoms of students before and after receiving ideological and political education.ResultsThe results showed that before receiving ideological and political education, students had more common symptoms of learning anxiety (SASRQ score was 7.2 on average). After receiving ideological and political education, students’ learning anxiety symptoms improved significantly (SASRQ score was 4.8 on average), showing an obvious downward trend.ConclusionsThe research shows that the innovation of the first-class curriculum of ideological and political education has a positive effect on students’ learning anxiety symptoms. Through the study of ideological and political courses, students can reduce anxiety and improve social, thinking and value cognition. Therefore, attaching importance to the innovation of ideological and political education and providing support measures in higher education can help alleviate the symptoms of students’ learning anxiety and promote their all-round development.Acknowledgement Phased research results of Guangdong Ocean University Student Party and League and class construction studio.

Türkiye'nin Çevrenin Korunması-Büyüme İkilemi: Algıların ve Etki Eden Faktörlerin Analizi

This study analyzes the determinants of individuals' perceptions towards the dichotomy of achieving economic growth and environmental preservation in Turkey. Using logistic models, the study investigates the impact of various socio-economic and socio-demographic factors such as material well-being, life satisfaction, age, gender, education level, employment status, settlement type, religiosity, and political view on individuals' attitudes towards prioritizing the environment. The results of logistic regression analysis, based on a sample of 1.935 participants obtained using the World Values Survey, wave 7, indicate that individuals with higher material well-being and life satisfaction in Turkey tend to prioritize the environment over growth. The findings of this study confirm the neoclassical perspective on environment for the Turkish cohort, which indicates the environment can be accepted as a luxury good. Additionally, it is found that individuals aged 60 and above, part-time workers and retirees, those who do not identify as religious, highly educated individuals, those with more children, and individuals with a left-wing ideology are more inclined to prioritize environmental protection over economic growth compared to each category's reference group. On the other hand, no statistically significant differences based on settlement type (urban-rural dichotomy) or sex were detected in prioritizing environmental preservation over economic growth. The findings of the study indicate that, in designing Turkey's macro-level growth and environmental policies, socio-economic and demographic disparities need to be taken into consideration.

INVESTIGATION OF TURKIYE S PERSPECTIVE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BY COUNTRY WITH MULTIVARIABLE STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES

Purpose- Understanding the perspective of developing Turkey towards science and technology, as well as its position compared to other countries, is of great importance for its potential positive changes in this field in the coming years. The aim is to examine Turkey's outlook on science and technology and its position among 57 countries, based on six variables: living standards, future generations, faith, impact on understanding, daily life, and global influence, which are associated with the perspective on science and technology using data from the World Values Survey (WVS). Methodology- This study aimed to determine Turkey's position among 57 countries based on six variables associated with the perspective on science and technology, as indicated in the World Values Survey (WVS) data from 2017-2022. The study data were obtained through survey methods, and the relevant data for analysis were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 20 software. Cluster analysis, a multivariate analysis method, was employed to test the research model constructed based on the literature. Findings- According to the results of the study, Turkey is positioned as a rapidly developing or emerging country among the world nations. Based on the cluster analysis of the survey responses conducted by WVS between 2017 and 2022, the cluster structure in which Turkey is included was examined, leading to the conclusion that the support provided by the economy in order for Turkey to make progress in science and technology is not sufficient. This observation is evident from Turkey being grouped together with other developing countries. Conclusion- Based on the analysis results, it has been observed that Turkey is grouped together with developing countries. It has been concluded that the support provided by the economy for Turkey to make progress in science and technology is not sufficient. Despite Turkey's economic strength, being a developing country requires allocating a significant amount of resources for development. Especially since the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11, 2020, countries have focused on improving and supporting healthcare policies to control the outbreak. It is possible that this situation has not significantly altered Turkey's perspective on science and technology compared to previous periods, as indicated by previous research findings. Therefore, Turkey's advancements and efforts in the field of economy alone will not be sufficient for the development of science and technology. In this era of rapid technological advancements, where everything is changing, it is important to enhance scientific publications, individual awareness, and accessibility to scientific data in order to accelerate development. This can contribute to advancing Turkey's perspective on science and technology. Keywords: Science, technology, perspective, multivariate statistics, cluster analysis JEL Codes: C38, C30, Q55

Social media trust predicts lower COVID-19 vaccination rates and higher excess mortality over 2 years.

Trust plays a crucial role in implementing public health interventions against the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined the prospective associations of interpersonal, institutional, and media trust with vaccination rates and excess mortality over time in two multinational studies. In study 1, we investigated the country-level relationships between interpersonal trust, vaccination rates, and excess mortality across 54 countries. Interpersonal trust at the country level was calculated by aggregating data of 80,317 participants from the World Values Survey in 2017-20. Data on vaccination rates and excess mortality were obtained from the World Health Organization. Our findings indicated that higher levels of interpersonal trust were linked to higher vaccination rates and lower excess mortality rates in both 2020 and 2021. In study 2, we collected data from 18,171 adults in 35 countries/societies, stratified by age, gender, and region of residence. At the country/society level, interpersonal trust and trust in local healthcare facilities, local healthcare services, and healthcare professionals were associated with higher vaccination rates and lower excess mortality, whereas social media trust was associated with lower vaccination rates and higher excess mortality across three time points over 2 years. Our findings are robust when controlling for country-level covariates of the government stringency index, population density, and medical resources (i.e. critical care beds) in both studies.

When and why does economic inequality predict prosocial behaviour? Examining the role of interpersonal trust among different targets

AbstractPrevious research suggests that economic inequality has caused a wide range of negative societal impacts. However, little is known about how economic inequality influences prosocial behaviour as a socioecological environment determinant. In five studies (N = 62,342), we examined whether economic inequality reduces prosocial behaviour by decreasing interpersonal trust and the moderation role of interpersonal targets. Studies 1, 2a, and 2b showed that interpersonal trust mediated the negative relationship between perceived economic inequality and prosocial behaviour. In Study 3, we used data from the World Values Survey to explore the relation between inequality and trust and found that it was moderated by the closeness of trust targets. In Study 4, we demonstrated that economic inequality only reduced trust and prosocial behaviour towards strangers, but not among friends and family. Taken together, the current research shed light on how economic inequality undermines trust and negatively impacts prosocial behaviour among different targets.

Can we all be Denmark? The role of civic attitudes in welfare state reforms

Research has demonstrated the economic effectiveness of welfare state reforms that follow the Danish flexicurity model, broadly specifying the combination of highly flexible labor market policies and generous protection schemes. Notwithstanding, it has also been argued that large and generous welfare states may erode civic attitudes, defined here as people’s willingness to cheat on taxes and claim transfers to which they are not entitled. Combining data from all available waves of the World Values Survey and the European Values Study with a self-constructed flexicurity index, this paper finds that welfare state reforms involving a combination of higher benefits, lower labor market regulations, and active labor market policies are not significantly associated with an erosion of civic attitudes.

Where do social media and education meet? A closer look at understanding of democracy

ABSTRACT Social media presents a contradictory relationship with democracy. Once, it was regarded as a tool for democracy, providing alternative sources of information and coordinating social movements for democratization. Later it also became a tool for authoritarian regimes to control information and spread propaganda to stay in power. This mixed perception suggests that both democratic and authoritarian forces can use social media to influence public opinion. This presents a puzzle to the relationship between social media use and democratic understanding. Does social media promote or erode understanding of democracy? This study argues that the effect of social media use on understanding of democracy depends on higher education. The relationship also differs between democracies and non-democracies. Using the newest wave of the World Values Survey (wave 7, 2017–2020), this study analyses the influence of social media use on understanding of democracy in non-democracies and democracies. The findings suggest that social media use positively affects understanding of democracy in democratic countries. However, the democratic effect of social media is nullified in non-democracy unless it interacts with higher education. The findings offer implications for the relationship between social media, higher education, and understanding of democracy.

Kicking the Ladder or Not? Unraveling Income Inequality Perceptions in the World

This research aims to explore the factors influencing support for income equality at both the individual and macro levels worldwide. By analyzing the latest data from the World Values Survey, which includes responses from 50,615 individuals across 42 countries, and incorporating key macroeconomic variables obtained from the World Bank, this study identifies several crucial determinants of attitudes towards addressing income inequality using logistic regression analysis. The research findings reveal that factors such as material well-being, life satisfaction, institutional trust, job status, place of residence, level of education, and religiosity play a significant role in shaping individual perceptions of income inequality, particularly in the context of support for either support for redistributive policy or free-market capitalism as potential solutions to mitigate income disparities. Additionally, macro-level variables reveal a substantial influence on support for income equality. Income per capita, income share of the top 10, the unemployment rate, and women's representation in parliament as a proxy for gender equality are found to significantly increase the likelihood of endorsing efforts to reduce income inequality. Our results remain robust when controlling for alternative income-related variables.

Assessments of annual effective doses for population and estimation of environmental risk in the vicinity of coal-fired power plant Kakanj, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The paper describes radioactivity monitoring and radiological risk assessment procedures for the population and the environment in three villages located around the coal-fired power plant. The dose assessments were performed after long-term radioactivity monitoring that was carried out in the production process and in the vicinity of the coal-fired power plant Kakanj, Bosnia and Herzegovina.The estimated annual effective doses for the population living in the observed villages were in the range of 1.89–2.13 mSv. The most significant contributions were delivered from ingestion of food and water (0.55–0.63 mSv y−1); external exposure from building materials (0.44–0.62 mSv y−1) and inhalation of radon (222Rn) progeny (0.29–0.62 mSv y−1).The inhalation doses from flying radionuclide particles were not significant with values in the range of 0.0056–0.0062 mSv y−1 for inhalation of 235U, 238U, 226Ra, and 232Th. External terrestrial doses were in the range of average world values (0.070–0.094 mSv y−1).Environmental risk was estimated using the ERICA tool which did not highlight any threatened species. A conservative approach with a lower dose screening value (10 nGy h−1) indicated the risk for lichens and bryophytes as terrestrial organisms with high accumulation capacity for natural radionuclides.

Unpackaging gender differences in justifying morally debatable behaviors around the world: The role of personal religiosity and society’s socialization priorities for its children

Women generally report greater religiosity and justify morally debatable behaviors less than men. This study examined if personal religiosity mediates the relationship of gender and justification of different types of morally debatable behaviors across societies with diverse religious heritages. We also explored how a society’s endorsement of preferred qualities in the socialization of children would moderate the links between personal religiosity and justification of morally debatable types of behavior. Using the World Values Survey Wave 7 data (47 societies; 66,992 respondents), we identified three types of justifiable behaviors, namely, behaviors threatening human life and family values, dishonest-illegal, and interpersonally violent behaviors. Controlling for age and education, women scored higher in personal religiosity and justified dishonest-illegal and interpersonally violent behaviors less than men, but behaviors threatening human life and family values more than men. Personal religiosity only partially mediated the link between gender and the justification of behaviors threatening human life and family values, indicating that factors other than personal religiosity account for gender differences in justifying types of morally defensible behavior. The linkage strengths of personal religiosity to behaviors threatening human life and family values and dishonest-illegal behaviors were moderated by societal endorsement of preferred qualities in the socialization of children. Thus, both gender and the socialization of a society’s human capital impact on how different types of morally debatable behaviors are justified around the world. Possible explanations for these results are offered and future research directions suggested.

Can We Compare Attitudes Towards Crime Around the World? Assessing Measurement Invariance of the Morally Debatable Behavior Scale Across 44 Countries

ObjectivesWe aim to encourage scholars who conduct cross-national criminological studies to routinely assess measurement invariance (MI), that is, verify if multi-item instruments that capture latent constructs are conceptualized and understood similarily across different populations. To promote the adoption of MI tests, we present an analytical protocol, including an annotated R script and output file. We implement the protocol and, doing so, document the first test of configural, metric, and scalar invariance of the three-factor Morally Debatable Behavior Scale (MDBS).MethodsWe worked with data from wave seven of the World Values Survey (WVS). Applying multi-group confirmatory factor analyses, we, first, explored invariance of the MDBS in 44 countries (N = 59,482). Next, we conducted analyses separately for seven South-american, six South-east Asian, six East-asian, two North American and Australasian, and all four Anglophone countries.ResultsThe MDBS displays an overall lack of invariance. However, we confirmed configural invariance of the MDBS for the South-east Asian sample, metric invariance in the sample of Anglophone countries, and scalar invariance for the Australasian and North American countries.ConclusionsWave seven of the WVS can be used for latent mean score comparisons of the MDBS between the Australasian and North American countries. Associative relationships can be compared in the larger Anglophone sub-sample. Taken together, MI must be tested, and cannot be assumed, even when analyzing data from countries for which previous research has established cultural similarities. Our protocol and practical recommendations guide researchers in this process.

Do immigrants ever oppose immigration?

This paper analyzes immigrants’ views about immigration, contributing to the behavioral literature on the subject. In particular, it explores the role of statistical discrimination as a cause of possible opposition to immigration in the absence of stringent immigration policies and a large amount of undocumented immigration. We test this hypothesis using US data from the seventh wave of the World Value Survey, finding that economically successful immigrants in the United States (i.e., those who are in the top quintile of the socioeconomic classification), who may benefit the most from being perceived as unrelated to unskilled undocumented immigrants, have negative views about immigration, especially with respect to its contribution to unemployment, crime, and the risk of a terrorist attack. This effect does not arise in the case of countries that apply stricter controls than the United States on immigration, like Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, or do not attract as large a number of undocumented immigrants. We interpret these results as evidence that immigrants’ attitudes toward other immigrants respond to the lack of a selective immigration policy: namely, if successful immigrants run the risk of being perceived as related to undocumented or uncontrolled immigration, they respond by embracing an anti- immigration view.

Should activism be treated as an indicator of attitudes towards political violence?

Multiple contemporary meta-analyses pointed out activism as one of the risk factors for engagement in political violence, which is in line with the early radicalization models. However, others pointed out that joining activist organizations could prevent individuals from conducting violent acts. This study attempted to empirically evaluate whether activism should be treated as a risk factor using a large international World Value Survey data set and controlling for support for family violence. The initial outcomes have confirmed that activists tend to hold more positive attitudes towards political violence than non-activists. However, this relationship lost practical significance when the support for family violence was included in the model, which was replicated across different political regimes and contexts. Although such results do not support the notion of activists exhibiting more positive attitudes towards political violence, they also do not imply that their attitudes towards political violence are more negative compared to non-activists. Therefore, without knowing more about the specific social issue and context in which it had developed, conclusions regarding one’s attitudes towards political violence based only on his or her history of activism seem to be negligibly more correct than random guessing.

Anti-Corruption Attitudes in Post-Communist Slovakia “Hellfire and Deviance” or Political Socialization?

The literature on corruption-related attitudes tends to focus on developing countries, test rational-choice theories, overlook religious influences, and neglect post-Communist but developed nations such as Slovakia. Academically, this article aims to test the validity of the “Hellfire and Deviance” and political-socialization theories of attitudes toward bribery by performing multivariate, Logistic regression analysis of the Slovak subsample of the 2022 World Values Survey. In particular, this study intends to find out whether: 1. an increase in belief in the afterlife drives opposition to bribery and 2. more frequent church attendance reduces support for bribery. This article finds that tolerance of bribery decreases with belief in the afterlife. Religious attendance also reduces pro-bribery views, but only among elderly Slovaks who grew up under Communism. Affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church or another Christian denomination seems to dampen enthusiasm for corruption indirectly by boosting church attendance and belief in the hereafter. Overall, these results strongly support the first theory and weakly confirm the second. The findings suggest that religion holds promise as a way to combat the scourge of political corruption in post-Communist, democratic Slovakia.

Fauna-inspired fashion through the English language glass

The article deals with representation of animal-inspired fashion highlights in the English fashion discourse with the focus on evolution of naming systems, categorization, multimodality, advertising and marketing strategies valid for online commerce. Animalistic motifs are considered on the basis of language-naming practices for clothes, footwear, accessories, jewelry and make-up. Fashion has become an important field of communication in modern world. Now it generates multimodal fashion discourse and refined fashion narrative with countless articles and innumerable posts on social media, Instagrammable looks of celebrities and influeuncers imitated by thousands of fashion fans. Glamorous fashion events are prominent social gatherings, which entail extensive international media coverage making a noticeable domain of online landscape. In the 21st century, radical changes in fashion were triggered by ecology movement and animal advocacy movement. Wild and domestic animals were used for clothes making for centuries but in the 21st century due to animal personhood movement and vegan fashion animals are likely to turn into a mere source of inspiration for designers. The shift in world vision and values triggers changes in customers' mentality and promotes creativity of fashion designers. Animal-inspired prints, gowns, footwear, accessories become means of self-expression and personification. Modern designers reinterpret the iconic images of the past bringing fashion to a new level what results into new word coinages in English, new distribution of fashion lexemes. Ergonyms – names of fashion items – contain indexical signs and might get associative meaning and emotional meaning being connected with famous people and celebrities. The list of animalistic fashion terms with indexal names is getting longer in the wake of the attempts to introduce new prints into fashion industry. Online business dictates advertising and marketing strategies with catchy names, slogans and detailed linguistic description of goods. Naming conventions are being changed as animal-prints get connotations, associations; lexical units acquire occasional intensifiers and determiners. Playfulness of animal-inspired fashion items is conveyed via humorous names and naming components. Zoomorphic accessories give rise to new portmanteau words. Modern fashion discourse proves linguistic practices and naming conventions are becoming more sophisticated and intricate.

Economic policy uncertainty and subjective health: A gender perspective

This study utilizes data from the World Values Survey (WVS) and the country-level Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU) index to explore the relationship between the EPU and subjective health status. Unlike studies that use suicide as the investigated variable, we find that the adverse association between subjective health and the EPU for women is no less than that for men. The adverse impact is robust for men of prime working age (25–54). It is also robust for women younger than 25, the age range (15–25) among women that suffer from depression at the highest rate. In addition, an asymmetric effect occurs for males of prime working age (25–54) and women older than 55. Specifically, the asymmetric effect indicates that the association between subjective health status and the EPU differs when the EPU is declining and increasing for both sexes, with the effect of the former greater than the latter. This might reflect that the EPU affects both sexes through different mechanisms, with men of prime working age being breadwinners and older women's long life expectancy and poverty caused by shorter careers.

Intersectionality as a theoretical-analytical tool to study health inequalities in the AmericasA interseccionalidade como ferramenta teórico-analítica para estudo das desigualdades em saúde nas Américas

Analyze inequalities in self-perceived health among population groups located at the intersections of gender identity, ethnicity, and education level in countries of the Americas, classified by income level. Panel data from the World Values Survey were used for the period 1990-2022. The study sample included 58 790 people between 16 and 65 years of age from 14 countries in the Americas. The dependent variable was poor self-perceived health, and the independent variables were gender, education level, and ethnicity. A multi-categorical variable with 12 strata was created for the intercategorical intersectionality analysis. An analysis of individual heterogeneity and diagnostic accuracy was performed using five logistic regression models, adjusted by age and by survey wave. A clear and persistent intersectional gradient for poor self-perceived health was observed in all country disaggregations by income. Compared to the category with the most advantage (men of majority ethnicity and higher education), the other groups had increased risk of poor health, with the highest risk among women of minority ethnicity and in Indigenous peoples with less than secondary education (three to four times higher). In addition, women had a higher risk of poor health than men in each pair of intersectional strata. The intersectional analysis demonstrated a persistent social gradient of self-perceived ill health in the Americas.