this book gives insight into how people´s basic values and attitudes differ across almost 100 countries containing most of the world´s population¬-and how these orientations have been changing during the last three decades, from 1981-2007. using data from the world values survey and european values study surveys, it examines human values and goals concerning politics, economics, religion, sexual behavior, gender roles, family values, communal identities, civic engagement, and ethical concerns, and such issues as environmental protection, scientific progress ant technological development, and human happiness. this sourcebook enables the reader to compare the responses to hundreds o questions across societies through-out the world covering the full spectrum of economic, political and cultural variation, including a variety of religious and cultural traditions, from christian to islamic to confucian to hindu. the data show significant differences between societies whose culture emphasizes social conformity and group-obligations, to societies where the main emphasis is on human emancipation and self-expression.