Join the World Values Survey Wave 8 (2024-2026): Call for Principal Investigators
Dear Colleagues,
For over 40 years, the World Values Survey (WVS) has been at the forefront of exploring the values, beliefs, and attitudes that shape societies across the globe. As one of the world’s largest cross-national survey programs, the WVS has collected invaluable data from over 120 countries, helping researchers, policymakers, and international organizations better understand social change and cultural diversity worldwide. The WVS provides critical insights into how values influence societal stability, economic development, democracy, and human well-being.
The ongoing 8th wave of the WVS, launched in January 2024, continues this tradition by addressing new and emerging global issues. The WVS-8 questionnaire covers a comprehensive range of themes, including:
-
Attitudes towards gender, family, and religion;
-
Cultural values, social tolerance, ethical values and norms;
-
Perceptions of happiness and wellbeing;
-
Postmaterialist values;
-
Political trust, authoritarianism, and populism;
-
Migration, climate change, and family planning;
-
Attitudes towards poverty, education, health, and security;
-
Beliefs about social capital, trust, and multilateral institutions;
-
Perceptions related to economic values, corruption, science and technology.
In addition, WVS-8 contributes to monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), providing data that will be crucial in assessing global progress on issues such as poverty, gender equality, climate action, and strong institutions.
WVS-8 kicked off in early 2024, with Canada and Thailand being the pioneers of this wave. The survey is currently being conducted or is scheduled to commence soon in Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States. WVS teams in Chile, Germany, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Mongolia, Peru, Singapore, and other countries are actively working on securing the necessary funds, with data collection planned for 2025-2026.
With WVS-8, we are expanding our coverage to include over 80 countries, and we aim to broaden our reach, especially in developing regions. This is where we would like to invite you to play a pivotal role.
Invitation to Join as Principal Investigator
We are excited to invite passionate researchers to join the World Values Survey Wave 8 (WVS-8) as Principal Investigators (PIs), particularly in many countries across Central America, Sub-Saharan Africa, South-East Asia, and the Middle East. This is an incredible opportunity to lead the survey in your (or another) country and make a significant impact on the understanding of societal values and attitudes across diverse regions.
Principal Investigators play a crucial role in the success of WVS-8 in their respective countries. Their responsibilities include raising funds for national survey fieldwork and overseeing the data collection process to ensure adherence to WVS methodological standards. The WVSA Secretariat provides comprehensive support and the necessary documents throughout all stages of the project.
In recognition of their dedication, PIs will gain early access to the new WVS-8 data collected in their country and globally, allowing for analysis and publication of findings prior to the public release. Additionally, PIs will have the opportunity to include up to 40 country-specific questions relevant to their research focus, enriching the data collected in their region.
This collaboration will significantly contribute to the global understanding of values and attitudes, especially within underrepresented regions. It is an excellent opportunity to shape global discourse on critical issues such as political trust, migration, climate change, and social tolerance.
Interested researchers and institutions, including those from academia, private companies, media, and NGOs, are encouraged to contact the WVSA Secretariat (wvsa.secretariat@gmail.com) for more information.
As WVS8 is in its early stages, there is an opportunity to contribute to the survey across many countries. If there are one or more countries where a contribution could be made, we encourage interested parties to contact the WVSA Secretariat for more information about the survey plans in those specific countries. It is important to note that the Principal Investigator does not need to reside in the country being surveyed to be eligible for this role.
We look forward to welcoming new partners to reinforce our efforts in continuing the legacy of the World Values Survey!
Sincerely,
WVSA Secretariat
‹ back