What's Changing? - Values

Please see below selected recent values-related change:

See also:

August 2024

While some moral intuitions may align with religious beliefs, the link between religion and morality is not inherent. Scientific research suggests that morality is rooted in universal principles of cooperation, not necessarily tied to religious beliefs. A study across 60 diverse societies found that seven cooperative principles, such as loyalty, reciprocity, and respect for property, are universally judged as morally good, with rare exceptions rooted in specific cultural contexts.

May 2024

According to analysis conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago, societies’ values are not converging. Instead, values are growing further apart. The rift is most pronounced between rich and poor countries. The world’s peoples were particularly less likely to agree on the ethics of homosexuality, euthanasia, divorce, prostitution, and abortion. Residents of wealthy countries grew more comfortable with all those topics, while residents of poorer countries were less so.

March 2024

Global Action Plan and the University of Bath joined forces to launch research exploring how young people’s perception of shared values with their peers underpin environmental hopes and actions.

February 2024

Our values can be heavily influenced by the societies we are a part of, including the political environment. The values which are implicit (and sometimes explicit) in messages we receive and experiences we have on a day-to-day basis have an impact on how we come to understand and feel about a range of social and environmental issues - even if those messages and experiences seemingly have nothing to do with the issues at hand. Common Cause argues that, if our cultures were different; if they prioritised to a greater extent values of care, solidarity, community and connection to the more-than-human world, then we could expect greater, bolder public demand for progressive change.

January 2024

Across the world, the strongest predictors of how societies align are their fundamental values and institutions, including beliefs in freedom of expression, personal choice, and the extent to which democratic institutions are practised and perceived to be legitimate. Notably, different regions of the world are in very different places. The emphasis on self-expression is relatively high in western Europe and English-speaking countries, with African-Islamic countries at the opposite end. Interestingly, “Confucian” societies are higher on secular, against traditional, values than e.g. the US. Differences in values are profound. Some aspects of liberalism, e.g. free markets, travel quite easily, but others, such as changing gender norms, currently do not.

September 2023

Peter Brian Barry, professor of philosophy at Saginaw Valley State University and author of The Fiction of Evil, claimed that our impulse to condemn is a kind of self-defence mechanism. “We tend to demonise people who we regard as morally unjust or vicious or corrupt because we really want to create distance between them and ourselves...the more we can describe them in monstrous terms...the more confident we can be that we’re not like that.” None of us wants to admit that we have the ability to carry out evil deeds ourselves; it’s much more comfortable to dehumanise those that do, noted the FT.

April 2023

Research into the ‘values perception gap’ shows that the majority of people place greater importance on intrinsic values, such as equality, unity with nature and community, than on extrinsic values, such as wealth, ambition and public image. However, the majority of people then go on to underestimate the importance that a typical fellow citizen places on intrinsic values and overestimate the importance they place on extrinsic values.

February 2023

"Friendshoring" is a term coined to denote sountries with like-minded values are collaborating on protecting their own supply chains.

January 2023

Gallup noted that many organisations have core values proudly displayed on their walls, on their website and in marketing materials, but what if you stopped a random employee in the hall and asked them for a story that supports those values? If you are met with blank stares, silence or a long “hmm,” those values are not being lived in the business, and a disingenuous workplace can emerge - one with little to no emotional connection for employees. As research has shown, a “pay only” connection to a workplace isn’t the silver bullet for retaining talent - and unlived values are a sure formula for failure in the war to attract and retain top talent.

December 2022

Further reading:

November 2022

As China works to re-shapes the existing world order, its officials argue that the values behind it are Western and not universal. Western leaders worry that China is merely trying to make the world safe for dictatorships. The Economist therefore examined whether universal values exist.

October 2022

According to a survey by The Harris Poll for Glassdoor, nearly one in three US employees said their current employer did not match their values. To help them find a company they could feel more aligned with, Glassdoor launched a new set of filters. On the website's 'company explorer' tool, users can apply advanced filters to expand their search in two main areas. The first is workplace ratings for factors like work/life balance and diversity and inclusion, and the second is by employee demographic ratings, which include race/ethnicity, gender, people with disabilities, sexual orientation and veterans

July 2022

According to Sonia Krolis, a Canadian clinical psychologist, one way of establishing a clearer sense of self is by identifying your values - the qualities that are important to you in life, such as honesty, spontaneity or ambition. Values help to answer the question: ‘What are you all about?’ Figuring out what matters to you is not always easy, however. For many, it can be helpful to work with a psychotherapist in trying to develop a clearer sense of self.

June 2022

Further reading:
- Rethinking the value of everything - S&P Global

October 2021

Studies have shown that there is a connection between authoritarian values and meaning in life. The writings of authoritarian leaders and radical revolutionaries routinely connect politics with purpose. Authoritarian regimes often come with all-encompassing worldviews attached, giving followers a false sense of understanding.

July 2021

Research published by Thijs Bouman and Linda Steg from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands explored how the perceived values of the group that an individual belongs to can motivate (or demotivate) action on climate change - even if that individual doesn’t personally place much importance on pro-environmental values. Supported by Common Cause research in this area, it would seem that strengthening people’s understanding of the importance that fellow citizens place on intrinsic values is a key strategy.

May 2021

According to From Values to Climate Action, in order to mitigate anthropogenic climate change, it is important to know what motivates individuals to support and take climate action. Values reflect universal, general, desirable goals which guide individuals’ preferences and actions. Stronger biospheric values (caring about the environment), in particular, predict stronger engagement in climate action. Although many individuals have strong biospheric values, contextual barriers can inhibit their climate actions.
In On the Subject That We All Are Good Fellows,” Fyodor Dostoyevsky discusses our deepest goodness, emanating a deep faith in the human spirit - all the more impressive given what Dostoyevsky himself endured - and a conviction that we are inherently good despite the badness we sometimes put on like an ill-fitting suit to impress by imitating those we mistake for impressive.

January 2021

Apple disclosed that 2021 executive bonuses would be linked to their performance based on an “environmental, social, and governance modifier”. The company says the modifier would increase or decrease bonuses by up to 10% based on its six core values: accessibility, education, inclusion and diversity, privacy and security, environment and supplier responsibility.

November 2020

With data covering half a million surveys in 152 languages, Valuegraphics identified 56 values that influence human behaviour. It uncovered what people care most about around the world, through a contextualised dataset. Individual motivations and values are universally similar. That said, research shows that the hierarchy of these values varies significantly. According to Valuegraphics, the top 10 values we share across cultures are: Family, Relationships, Financial Security, Belonging, Community, Personal Growth, Loyalty, Religion/Spirituality, Employment Security and Personal Responsibility.
The 2020 US election revealed that Americans are more divided than they have been in decades. But they don't only disagree on policy: only 20 percent of Americans surveyed by Pew believe that supporters of Joe Biden and Donald Trump share the same core American values and goals for the country's future.

October 2020

What Happens When China Leads the World? looked at previous iterations of Chinese foreign relations, and suggested that China won’t be pacifist and will push ‘its values’. Historically, the Chinese believed that their culture had a transformative power - it could change barbarism into civilisation. Confucius himself thought so.

September 2020

In a world ruled by profits and productivity, the moral values that previously guided us on how to live are being replaced by the motives of the market. But with environmental destruction and rising inequality our need to ethical guidance is more urgent than ever. Do we need to revive the role of the inner voice of conscience, asked IAI? Could attunement to our human compass guide us towards the good life, even when it directs us to challenge the basic conventions of society?

May 2020

During a crisis like the Covid-19 outbreak people become acutely aware of a desire to do the right thing, and our expectations that others will do the same. This shared sense of right and wrong holds communities together even as circumstances keep them apart. In the midst of a global pandemic, who would not want to do the right thing? Very few people are devoid of a sense of right and wrong; and even people who have problems with impulse control will often go to great lengths to avoid being found out because they know what they are doing is wrong. Our sense of right and wrong is likely to be felt quite sharply in the face of the crisis wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic. There’s an imperative to do the right thing. The question is, though, what is the right thing to do, and can we always trust others to do it?

December 2019

If we focus on differences, we risk only seeing differences. However, a study of 86,000 people revealed that when it comes to morality, human values and trust, people of all backgrounds pretty much agree. Across all backgrounds and all levels of society, almost completely agree with each other. By gender, age, education, income, religion - no matter how you slice it, the similarity of attitudes between groups is greater than 90% on average.

November 2019

Defining corporate values is increasingly important to organisations and society - and consulting firms are making millions of dollars helping organisations define such values. What we're seeing consistently, however, claims social innovator Aaron Hurst, is that this is not working: you can print values on posters and talk about them at conferences, but these values often fail to become part of the fabric of the organisation and they instead remain upper-management-speak.

February 2019

A German data scientist tried to prepare children for the age of Artificial Intelligence by emphasising what makes us uniquely human. To do this he created PISA - a test taken in 79 countries - to assess abilities in creativity, empathy, and collaboration. As Quartz reported, he hoped that signalling the importance of these skills might encourage educators to prioritise them, too.

December 2018

Psychologists have consistently found that the extent to which a worker’s values are compatible with their employer’s plays a crucial role in determining employee job satisfaction and company profitability. Some companies, particularly big ones, work hard to communicate their values. Having a strong brand makes it easier to attract people who are a good fit for the company, but smaller companies have to do things to stand out, and one of the most effective strategies is emphasising the positive social impact of their work, according to the BBC.

November 2018

Gallup analytics showed that just 27% of employees strongly agree they believe in their company's values, and 23% of employees strongly agree they can apply their organisation's values to their work every day. However, values-driven culture can fuel organisational growth and attract top talent. Talented people want to work for an organisation with a thriving culture. so it stands to reason that most organizations need to revitalise their values and intentionally foster an exceptional work culture.
Gallup also warned that even minor problems with culture and values can create major barriers to success during times of change, so many forward-thinking leaders have used a data-driven approach to redefine their values and develop a culture in which employees embody those values.

October 2018

World Values Day is an opportunity to think about our most deeply held values and to act on them. This year’s core theme is about putting our values into action in our communities.
Research, by Common Cause and others, suggests that most people care deeply about one another and the world around them, valuing things like equality, compassion and kindness. However, a large majority of people underestimate the extent to which their fellow citizens care about these things - and this can hold us back. Conveying a more authentic understanding of what people typically value has potentially transformative consequences: people who hold truer perspectives of others’ values report deeper connection to their communities, show greater motivation to become civically engaged, are more likely to support action on social or environmental challenges, and have higher wellbeing. Characteristics like flexibility, intuition, empathy and resilience are powerful tools with which to create better businesses.
A leading businesswoman believes a fundamental shift is coming in how we do business. We are on the cusp of change driven by a more female-centric set of working principles that consumers, as well as employees, are demanding. Characteristics like flexibility, intuition, empathy and resilience are powerful tools with which to create better businesses.
David Gurteen shared the video and the text chat file from his World Values Day Café,
Further reading:
- Do you value what’s personal to you?

September 2018

World Values Day each year provides an opportunity to think about our most deeply held values and to act on them. If we are aware to our values and put them into action each and every day, we can change our lives and change the world we live in. See the World Values Day website www.worldvaluesday.com for information on events and activities taking place around the world as well as many useful tools and resources that can help in exploring our own values and those of our organisations and communities.

2018 and earlier

Personal values are unique to every individual and can loosely be described as a set of beliefs or intuitive feelings inside our heads. They act unconsciously as a guide - telling us how comfortable we feel about different situations>
A Fast Company article warned that the most urgent, most critical work challenge does not come from customers, activists, or shareholders. The most urgent challenge lies within. According to the 2018 World Value Index, only 14% (of Americans) strongly agree that the values of their employer match their own. Another 28% say they somewhat agree, meaning a majority are spending the majority of their productive lives in environments they don’t fully believe in.
In Values Management and Value Creation in Business, the Bertelsmann Foundation asked how important it is to actually live a company's values and argued that values provide internal and external orientation and legitimise decisions and actions.
In The Virtue of Selfishness, controversial philosopher Ayn Rand claimed that one's own life is, for each individual, the ultimate value because it makes all other values possible.
"It makes us uncomfortable, but thinking about prudence, fortitude and temperance might be just what we need right now", claimed philosopher Mark Vernon. "Does humanity only value thing in pounds, dollars and euros? Or can we get to a new era of value; one where our happiness, our ability to be creative and where the knowledge that you are working with Nature and not destroying the future of the next generation to come is given a value much greater than that which can reside in a bank account?"
A professor and former dean at the Saïd Business School at Oxford University argued in a 2013 book that corporations should restructure around three key principles:
- First, articulate clear values: why does the company exist, and what does it believe in?
- Second, appoint “trustees” to protect the interests of stakeholders and uphold the values of the corporation.
- Third, restrict voting shares to long-term investors - and he also believes that governments should use the corporate tax system to encourage “public values by private corporations”.

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