Are Individual-Level and Country-Level Value Structures Different? Testing Hofstede's Legacy With the Schwartz Value Survey

摘要

Hofstede identified four value dimensions at the country level but did not find matchingdimensions at the individual level. Schwartz discriminated different sets of value constructs atindividual and country-levels, based on separate analyses per level. In this article, the authorsdirectly examine the degree of similarity or isomorphism between the structure of values inindividual- and country-level analyses, using multidimensional scaling followed by generalizedProcrustes analysis. Using data from the Schwartz Value Survey from 53 and 66 countries, theauthors find substantial similarity in structure across levels, but indices fall somewhat short ofstructural isomorphism.The authors then test hypotheses regarding possible causes of the lessthan perfect isomorphism between the levels. Number of countries (sample size at countrylevel) and structural shifts in individual items account for some of the lack of isomorphism.Implications for future cross-cultural research are discussed.