Schwartz Value Survey

About this scale

The Schwartz Value Survey, created by Shalom Schwartz at Hebrew University, Israel, measures ten basic human values that people across cultures recognize. The version on YourMorals.org presents these values as separate scores, each ranging from 0 to 7.

The idea behind the scale is that there is an internal order and structure to values. Using various statistical techniques, Schwartz has found that the ten basic human values show a pattern of relationships that can be graphed as a circle. Values that are next to each other are closely related; values that are across from each other tend to be opposed, or tend not to be strongly endorsed by the same person. Political liberals have been found to endorse the “openness to change” values, while conservatives are more likely to endorse the “conservation” values.

YourMorals hosts this scale because researchers are interested in how Schwartz’s ten values (which include moral and non-moral values) relate to the “five foundations of morality” theory from Haidt and Graham, as measured by the Moral Foundations Questionnaire.

The ten dimensions

• Power — Social status and prestige, control or dominance over people and resources.
• Achievement — Personal success through demonstrating competence according to social standards.
• Hedonism — Pleasure or sensuous gratification for oneself.
• Stimulation — Excitement, novelty, and challenge in life.
• Self-Direction — Independent thought and action — choosing, creating, exploring.
• Universalism — Understanding, appreciation, tolerance, and protection for the welfare of all people and for nature.
• Benevolence — Preservation and enhancement of the welfare of people with whom one is in frequent personal contact.
• Tradition — Respect, commitment, and acceptance of the customs and ideas that traditional culture or religion provide.
• Conformity — Restraint of actions, inclinations, and impulses likely to upset or harm others and violate social expectations or norms.
• Security — Safety, harmony, and stability of society, of relationships, and of self.

Scoring

Each of the ten values is scored from 0 to 7. Higher numbers indicate stronger endorsement of that value relative to the other values in the set.

Explore the values in depth

The Explore Values page gives a full breakdown of all ten value facets as Schwartz describes them — where each one comes from, what its motivational goal is, which values it aligns with and which it opposes, and what the empirical data shows about how it varies by age, gender, and education.

It includes an interactive recreation of Schwartz's circular motivational model (Figure 1): click any segment to jump straight to that value's description. The page draws directly from Schwartz (1992) and Schwartz (2006), with numbered citations throughout.

How to use this site

1. Register and take the Schwartz Value Survey at yourmorals.org (under “Explore Your Morals” after signing in).
2. Note your ten value scores from the results page.
3. Come back here and enter those scores to see a comparison chart with demographic filters.