Description of WVS:
The following description of the World Value Survey and European Values Surveys appears on the ICPSR Web site:
"The series is designed to enable a crossnational, crosscultural comparison of values and norms on a wide variety of topics and to monitor changes in values and attitudes across the globe. This data collection, representing the fourth wave of surveys carried out by the World Values Survey (WVS) and European Values Survey (EVS) groups, covers 60 countries, with high priority given to obtaining coverage of Islamic societies and African societies, which have rarely been included in crossnational survey research. These surveys cover a broader range of variation than has been available for analyzing the belief systems of mass publics. They provide data from representative national samples of the publics of 81 societies containing 85 percent of the world's population and covering a full range of variation, from societies with per capita incomes below 300 dollars per year, to societies with per capita incomes of more than 35,000 dollars per year, from long-established democracies to authoritarian states, and from societies with market economies to societies that are in the process of emerging from state-run economies. The surveys cover societies that were historically shaped by a wide variety of religious and cultural traditions, from Christian to Islamic to Confucian to Hindu, and from societies whose culture emphasizes social conformity and group obligations to societies in which the main emphasis is on human emancipation and self-expression. Broad topics covered in the 1999-2001 waves were work, personal finances, the economy, politics, allocation of resources, contemporary social issues, technology and its impact on society, and traditional values. Respondents were asked whether the following acts were ever justifiable: suicide, cheating on taxes, lying, euthanasia, divorce, and abortion. Respondents were also asked about the groups and associations they belonged to, which ones they worked for voluntarily, the groups they would not want as neighbors, their general state of health, and whether they felt they had free choice and control over their lives. A wide range of items was included on the meaning and purpose of life, such as respondents views on the value of scientific advances, the demarcation of good and evil, and religious behavior and beliefs. Respondents were also queried about their attitudes toward religion, morality, politics, sexual freedom, marriage, politics, and religion in their lives. Questions relating to work included the pride they took in their work, if they were happy with their current position, and their views on owner/state/employee management of business. Questions pertaining to the stability of the world economy and whether respondents were happy with their financial situation were also asked. Respondents' opinions of various forms of political action, the most important aims for their countries, confidence in various civil and governmental institutions, and whether they would fight in a war for their country were also elicited. Demographic information includes family income, number of people residing in the home, size of locality, region of residence, occupation of the head of household, and the respondent's age, sex, occupation, education, religion, religiosity, political party and union membership, and left-right political self-placement."
The Department of Sociology maintains SPSS and STATA versions of all WVS data sets (each year and all years combined). They are available on the Department LAN by following the path G:\ALL\WVS. There are two composite data sets. One composite data set includes three waves, 1981-1984, 1990-1993 and 1995-1997 (G:\ALL\WVS\1981_1990_1995-97). The other data set contains the latest wave 1999-2000 (G:\ALL\WVS\1999-2002). To use the composite data sets in STATA, set mem 100m before issuing a "use" command.
Link to the ICPSR Web description of these datasets
For the 1981-1997 dataset
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/02790.xml
For the 1999-2000 dataset
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/03975.xml
