According to a paper published in Nature Communications on April 9, cultural values may have become more divergent globally over the past 40 years, yet more similar within specific regions. Researchers believe that as time progresses, the cultural differences between high-income Western countries and the rest of the world will grow, while countries within the same region will develop more similar cultural values.
In the modern world, globalization, mass media, and the spread of technology have made many cultural forms more alike, but not necessarily the underlying values. There has been ongoing debate on whether economic development encourages self-expression and tolerance, or fosters the development of unique national identities.
In this study, Joshua Conrad Jackson and Danila Medvedev from the University of Chicago analyzed data from the "World Values Survey," which includes responses from over 400,000 individuals across 76 countries and territories on all continents from 1981 to 2022.
The researchers measured cultural differences across 40 values, many of which relate to openness, obedience, and faith. They also assessed the similarity in values between different countries over time.
They found evidence of global cultural values—such as the importance of children learning religious beliefs or the legitimacy of prostitution—trending towards divergence, but also convergence within the same region. For example, decades ago, Australians and Pakistanis similarly viewed divorce as unjustifiable, but their views have since evolved in opposite directions, as have their attitudes towards the importance of children's obedience.
The researchers suggest that globalization itself may not lead to convergence in cultural and social values, and that wealth may have different impacts on cultural values in different regions. For instance, from 2000 to 2022, Hong Kong, China, and Canada had similar increases in per capita wealth, but Canadians grew more accepting of homosexuality at a faster rate. Additionally, the importance placed on nurturing children's work ethic declined in Canada but rose in Hong Kong.
The researchers note that future studies on other values could enhance the universality of these findings.
Related paper information: https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46581-5
