Alejandro Moreno & Christian Welzel: “Values and Popular Views of Democracy in Global Comparison"

The World Values Surveys are an incomparable data source to map global cultural differences and to trace cultural change around the world. Their development overlaps with a period of tremendous cultural change in many regions of the world. Societies all over the globe are experiencing a number of key cultural trends, which include: decline of deference to authority; an increasing emphasis on freedom of expression and equality of opportunities; growing social and political tolerance; growingly emancipative orientations towards the role of women; a diffusion of protest politics; rising happiness; and increasing emphasis on democratic principles combined with greater dissatisfaction with the democratic process and institutions in practice.

For the first time, various prominent scholars who have collaborated on the World Values Surveys on different aspects of these changes are brought together to take stock of the key insights and unresolved puzzles. Since all contributions share a comparative and longitudinal perspective, this project presents the broadest available evidence on the theme of global cultural change. On a rich empirical data base, the project portrays the collective mindsets that are shaping the future of the world.

The findings will be presented at two conferences. The first is at Leuphana University in Lüneburg, Germany that assembles the European participants. The second is at the University of California, Irvine for the North American participants. The conferences are supported by the Center for the Study of Democracy at UC Irvine, the Center for the Study of Democracy at Leuphana University, the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung, and the Institute for European Studies at UC Berkeley.

Organized by Russell J. Dalton, Center for the Study of Democracy, University of California, Irvine and & Christian Welzel, Center for the Study of Democracy, Leuphana University, Lüneburg, Germany