The World Values Survey Dataset
For this workshop, we will be using dataset stored in a CSV file called wvs-4-countries.csv.
What is a CSV?
A CSV (Comma-Separated Values) file is a type of file that stores data in a plain text format. Each line in the file represents a row of data, and within each row, individual pieces of data (like numbers or words) are separated by commas.
This format is commonly used for storing and transferring data, especially in spreadsheets and databases. Because it is literally just plain text, it is an ideal format if you have large amount of data.
You can open CSV files in Excel, Google Sheets, or even Notepad!
Download the Dataset
Step 1
Click this link to access the wvs-4-countries.csv file. You should see a plain page with a bunch of text.
Step 2
Right click anywhere in this page, and choose Save As... or Save Page as....
Step 3
Save this file inside the data folder that we create together in Session 1, and you’re good to go!
Data Dictionary for WVS dataset
The World Values Survey (<www.worldvaluessurvey.org>) is a global network of social scientists studying changing values and their impact on social and political life, led by an international team of scholars, with the WVS association and secretariat headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.
The actual questionnaire consists of over 200 questions with respondents from various countries. For the purpose of this workshop, we will use 15 variables/questions with respondents from four countries: Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Turkey. Each country contributes 1,313 respondents, for a total of 5,252 rows. The 15 variables are:
country-
Character variable indicating the respondent’s country:
Hong Kong SAR,Indonesia,Malaysia, orTurkey respondent_id-
Numeric identifier unique to each survey respondent
age-
Numeric variable indicating respondent’s age in years
urban_rural-
Indicates the type of settlement where the respondent lives:
UrbanorRural income_level-
Indicates the respondent’s household income level (recoded into three groups):
Low,Medium, orHigh sex-
Indicates respondent’s gender:
MaleorFemale marital_status-
Indicates current marital status:
Married,Single,Divorced,Separated, orWidowed education-
Highest educational level attained by the respondent, recoded into three groups:
Lower,Middle, orHigher life_satisfaction-
Numeric scale from 1-10 measuring overall life satisfaction, where 1 indicates lowest satisfaction and 10 indicates highest satisfaction
freedom_of_choice-
Numeric scale from 1-10 measuring perceived freedom of choice and control, where 1 indicates no freedom at all and 10 indicates a great deal
emancipative_values-
Numeric index from 0-1 measuring emancipative values (Welzel), where higher values indicate stronger support for personal freedom, gender equality, and civic participation. Composed of four sub-indices: autonomy, equality, choice, and voice.
trust_people-
Indicates general social trust:
Trusted(most people can be trusted) orNot trusted(need to be very careful) importance_of_god-
Numeric scale from 1-10 measuring how important God is in the respondent’s life, where 1 indicates not at all important and 10 indicates very important
financial_satisfaction-
Numeric scale from 1-10 measuring satisfaction with the household’s financial situation, where 1 indicates dissatisfied and 10 indicates satisfied
secular_values-
Numeric index from 0-1 measuring overall secular values (Welzel), where higher values indicate more secular orientations. Composed of four sub-indices: defiance, disbelief, relativism, and scepticism.
If you’d like to find out more about this data, including the original codebook and questionnaire, check out their homepage here: https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSDocumentationWV7.jsp
References
Haerpfer, C., Inglehart, R., Moreno, A., Welzel, C., Kizilova, K., Diez-Medrano, J., Lagos, M., Norris, P., Ponarin, E. & Puranen B. (2022): World Values Survey Wave 7 (2017-2022) Cross-National Data-Set. Version: 4.0.0. World Values Survey Association. DOI: doi.org/10.14281/18241.18