THE PERSISTENCE OF MATERIALIST AND POST-MATERIALIST VALUE ORIENTATIONS: COMMENTS ON VAN DETH'S ANALYSIS

In: European journal of political research: official journal of the European Consortium for Political Research, Band 11, Heft 1, S. 81-91

Abstract

JAN VAN DETH'S PENETRATING CRITIQUE OF THE THEORY OF VALUE CHANGE PRESENTED IN THE SILENT REVOLUTION RAISES SOME KEY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NATURE OF VALUE CHANGE AND RELATED MEASUREMENT PROBLEMS (SEE PP. 63-79 OF THIS VOLUME). IT ALSO PRESENTS SIGNIFICANT NEW EVIDENDCE ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL-LEVEL STABILITY OF MATERIALIST /POSTMATERIALIST VALUES, BASED ON A RECENT DUTCH PANEL SURVEY. VAN DETH CONCLUDES THAT EITHER THE THEORY, OR THE INSTRUMENT USED TO MEASURE MATERIALIST/POST-MATERIALIST VALUES, MUST BE MODIFIED. HIS CONCLUSION IS BASED ON TWO MAIN FINDINGS; FIRST, HE FINDS EVIDENCE OF A SHIFT TOWARD INCREASED MATERIALISM IN HIS DUTCH PANEL SURVEY FROM 1974 TO 1979; HE CONSIDERS THIS TO BE INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE MATERIALIST/POST-MATERIALIST THESIS. SECOND, HE FINDS UNSTABLE RESPONSES AMONG THOSE RESPONDENTS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN POLITICS: FROM THIS, HE CONCLUDES THAT THE INSTRUMENT IS NOT RELIABLE, AND THAT IT DOES NOT REALLY MEASURE VALUES. VAN DETH'S INTERPRETATION OF THESE FINDINGS SEEMS ACCURATE AND INSIGHTFUL IN MANY RESPECTS, BUT IT REFLECTS AN INCORRECT ASSUMPTION AND AN INADEQUATE DATA BASE, EACH OF WHICH SERIOUSLY DISTROTS HIS CONCLUSIONS.