Schwartz Value Clusters in Modern University Students

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology

Background:

• Personal values shape individual and group behavior.
• Schwartz's value theory provides a framework for understanding value structures.
• Previous research often focused on group-level comparisons of values.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify value-based subgroups within a university student population.
• To examine the distribution of these subgroups across different demographic factors.
• To explore the influence of socio-cultural background on personal value hierarchies.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Schwartz Value Survey (SVS) and Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ).
• Applied K-means cluster analysis to a sample of 1237 university students.
• Analyzed value hierarchies at both the Normative Ideals and Behavioral Priorities levels.

Main Results:

• Identified three distinct value-based clusters within the student sample.
• These clusters showed equal prevalence across genders.
• Cluster distribution varied significantly across different ethnic groups and regions.

Conclusions:

• Personal value systems can be clustered into distinct types at the individual level.
• Socio-cultural environment plays a crucial role in shaping these value hierarchies.
• Findings can enhance predictions of young people's social, economic, and political behavior.