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| European Values Study | |
|---|---|
| Name | European Values Study |
| Abbreviation | EVS |
| Established | 1981 |
| Scope | Pan-European survey research |
| Discipline | Sociology |
| Headquarters | Rotterdam |
European Values Study
The European Values Study is a long-term cross-national survey program investigating cultural, religious, political, and social attitudes across European societies. It connects panel-style comparative research with repeated cross-sectional waves to track change among populations in countries such as France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain. The project involves cooperation among universities, statistical offices, and research institutes including Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute, University of Bergen, University of Warsaw, and Central European University.
The study collects representative data on beliefs and values related to family, work, religion, politics, and social norms across many European nations such as Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Iceland, and Turkey. Collaborating institutions include the European Commission, Council of Europe, OECD, UNESCO, World Values Survey Association, International Social Survey Programme, and national academies such as the Polish Academy of Sciences and Austrian Academy of Sciences.
Originating from comparative work by scholars at Tilburg University, the project launched initial coordinated surveys in 1981 and expanded through waves in 1990, 1999, 2008, 2017, and later cycles. Early development involved networks with research centers like Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Institut national d'études démographiques, Sociological Association of Ireland, Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), and the Institute for Social Research (Germany). Major milestones include integration of post-Communist states after the Fall of the Berlin Wall, coordination with EU enlargement processes such as the Treaty of Maastricht and accession of European Union member states, and harmonization initiatives influenced by projects like the Lisbon Strategy. Key figures and contributors have been affiliated with institutions like University of Amsterdam, University of Oxford, London School of Economics, Harvard University, Princeton University, and Yale University.
The study employs stratified probability sampling, standardized questionnaires, and face-to-face or mixed-mode interviewing coordinated by national teams at centers such as Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain), and Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques (France). Questionnaire design draws on comparative methodology from teams at European University Institute, University of Cologne, University of Zurich, KU Leuven, Charles University, Eötvös Loránd University, Sofia University, and University of Belgrade. Survey topics map to constructs used by World Health Organization, UNICEF, and Eurostat indicators. Quality control includes translation protocols akin to those at Council of Europe, back-translation practices used by UNESCO, and weighting strategies comparable to OECD standards. Sampling frames have engaged population registers like Statistics Netherlands and address-based frames used by Statistics Sweden.
Analyses reveal trends in secularization and religiosity comparing contexts like Vatican City influence versus post-Communist secular transitions in Czech Republic and Estonia; family values shifts studied alongside demographic transitions in Italy, Greece, and Portugal; political trust fluctuations related to events such as the European sovereign debt crisis, the 2004 enlargement of the European Union, and migration crises impacting states like Germany and Sweden. Research outputs highlight generational value change, attitudinal polarization examined in relation to parties like Law and Justice (Poland) and movements such as Syriza and Five Star Movement (Italy), as well as studies of civic engagement tied to institutions like European Parliament, NATO, Council of the European Union, and national parliaments. Cross-national comparisons have been published by scholars affiliated with Collegium Budapest, Sciences Po, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Barcelona, Sapienza University of Rome, and Moscow State University.
Data access is coordinated through national data archives and portals similar to GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, UK Data Service, ICPSR, European Social Survey Data Archive, and university repositories at University of Ljubljana and University of Warsaw. The EVS network organizes conferences and methodological workshops featuring partners like Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, American Sociological Association, International Political Science Association, European Consortium for Political Research, and International Association for the Study of Religion. Data documentation standards align with metadata models used by DANS and CESSDA infrastructure.
Scholars and institutions including critics at University College London, University of Edinburgh, University of Cambridge, University of Munich (LMU), and University of Vienna have noted limitations: cross-national measurement equivalence challenges also addressed by teams at Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research; sampling coverage gaps in small states like Andorra and disputed territories; translation issues comparable to debates at Council of Europe; and time-series comparability constrained after major events like the 1992 Maastricht Treaty and the 2008 global financial crisis. Debates about weighting and nonresponse echo critiques from researchers at Princeton University, Stanford University, and Columbia University.
The study informs policy analyses at bodies such as European Commission Directorate-General for Justice, European Parliament Research Service, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, and national ministries in Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, and Romania. Academic use spans journals and presses connected to Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, SAGE Publications, Routledge, and research programs at European Research Council, Horizon 2020, and Horizon Europe. Findings are employed in comparative projects alongside datasets like European Social Survey, World Values Survey, and International Social Survey Programme to inform studies on secularization, political behavior, migration attitudes, and value change studied by scholars at University of Chicago, Michigan State University, Johns Hopkins University, and Australian National University.
Category:Survey projects