Books using the U.S. World Values Survey Data
Rising Tide: Gender Equality and Cultural Change Around the World (2003)
This book examines how modernization has influenced cultural attitudes toward gender equality. It systematically compares attitudes worldwide, including data from the United States, to analyze the political consequences of changing gender norms.
Inglehart, R., & Norris, P. (2003). Rising tide: Gender equality and cultural change around the world. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511550362
Cosmopolitan Communications: Cultural Diversity in a Globalized World (2009)
This book develops a theoretical framework for understanding cosmopolitan communications and uses it to identify conditions under which global communications affect cultural diversity. The study draws on evidence from the WVS, covering 90 societies, including the U.S., from 1981 to 2007.
Norris, P., & Inglehart, R. (2009). Cosmopolitan communications: Cultural diversity in a globalized world. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511804953
Sacred and Secular: Religion and Politics Worldwide (2004)
In this work, the authors re-examine the secularization thesis using data from four waves of the WVS conducted from 1981 to 2001 in eighty societies, including the U.S. They explore the relationship between religiosity and political attitudes across different cultures.
Norris, P., & Inglehart, R. (2004). Sacred and secular: Religion and politics worldwide. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511791017
Cultural Backlash: Trump, Brexit, and Authoritarian Populism (2019)
In this analysis, the authors advance a general theory explaining how the silent revolution in values triggered a backlash fueling support for authoritarian-populist parties and leaders in the U.S. and Europe. The book draws on new evidence, including WVS data, to explore the rise of populism.
Inglehart, R., & Norris, P. (2019). Cultural backlash: Trump, Brexit, and authoritarian populism. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108595841
The Ethics of Bribery: Theoretical and Empirical Studies (2025)
McGee and Serkan examine responses to a question posed to those in the United States in the 7th wave of the World Values Survey: “Is bribery ever justified?” By analyzing responses by demographic variables, including religiosity, social class, and gender, the authors provide insight into attitudes on bribery in the United States.
McGee, Robert and Serkan Benk. “Attitudes Toward Bribery in the United States.” The Ethics of Bribery, Vol 2: Country Studies, edited by Robert McGee and Serkan Benk, Springer, 2025, pp. 9-27.
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