Schwartz Value Survey
Also known as: SVS, Schwartz Theory of Basic Values, Portrait Values Questionnaire
The Schwartz Value Survey (SVS) operationalizes Schwartz's (1992) theory of basic human values, which identifies ten (later refined to nineteen) motivationally distinct values organized in a circular structure along two axes: openness to change versus conservation, and self-enhancement versus self-transcendence. It is the most widely used cross-cultural values instrument and underlies much research on the value basis of political ideology.
Key highlights
- Grounded in a near-universal circular value structure validated across dozens of countries.
- Predicts political ideology, voting, and policy attitudes through theoretically specified value axes.
- Available in the abstract SVS and the more accessible Portrait Values Questionnaire for diverse populations.
- Embedded in major cross-national surveys (e.g., the European Social Survey carries a PVQ module), enabling comparative analysis.
Intuition
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How it works
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When to use it
Use the SVS or PVQ to measure the basic value priorities underlying political attitudes, especially in cross-cultural and comparative research. It is appropriate when you want a theoretically grounded, structurally validated account of why people hold the ideological positions they do, and when comparing value structures across nations. The theory assumes the circular structure is near-universal; verify its recovery (e.g., via multidimensional scaling) in any new sample, and use the PVQ for less-educated or general populations.
Strengths & limitations
- Grounded in a near-universal circular value structure validated across dozens of countries.
- Predicts political ideology, voting, and policy attitudes through theoretically specified value axes.
- Available in the abstract SVS and the more accessible Portrait Values Questionnaire for diverse populations.
- Embedded in major cross-national surveys (e.g., the European Social Survey carries a PVQ module), enabling comparative analysis.
- Scoring requires within-person centering; raw scores conflate value priorities with scale-use differences.
- The full SVS is long and abstract, posing comprehension challenges for less-educated respondents.
- The circular structure does not always recover cleanly in every culture, requiring structural validation.
- The ten-value model is a simplification; the refined nineteen-value model is more precise but heavier to field.
Common pitfalls
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Applications
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Frequently asked
What are the two main value axes and how do they relate to politics?
The first axis runs from openness to change (self-direction, stimulation) to conservation (tradition, conformity, security); it tracks the cultural/social left-right divide. The second runs from self-enhancement (power, achievement) to self-transcendence (universalism, benevolence); it tracks egalitarian and prosocial versus self-interested concerns. A person's position on these axes predicts their ideological and policy attitudes.
Why must SVS scores be centered within each respondent?
People use rating scales differently: some rate everything high, others low. Because values are inherently about relative priorities (what matters more than what), researchers subtract each person's average rating from all their value scores. This 'ipsatization' removes individual scale-use bias and yields scores that reflect the importance of each value relative to the person's other values.
How does the SVS differ from the Portrait Values Questionnaire?
The SVS asks respondents to rate abstract value labels as life-guiding principles, which is demanding. The PVQ instead describes short portraits of people with particular goals and asks how similar each portrait is to the respondent, making the task concrete and easier for general or less-educated populations. Both recover the same value structure and are largely interchangeable.
Sources
- 1.Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 25, 1-65.
- 2.Schwartz, S. H. (2012). An overview of the Schwartz theory of basic values. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1), 11.
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Cite this page
ScholarGate. (2026, June 22). Schwartz Value Survey. ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/political-psychology/schwartz-value-survey