An Introduction to Postmaterialism and Its Empirical Foundation

12 Pages Posted: 5 May 2022

See all articles by Peter Chai

Peter Chai

Graduate School of Political Science, Waseda University

Date Written: April 19, 2022

Abstract

This article provides a succinct introduction to the postmaterialist theses raised by Ronald Inglehart and Christian Welzel. After discussing the anthropological and psychological origins of postmaterialist values, this article elucidates how the “human development theory” is represented in some prominent empirical studies in the field. This article not only aims to explain the conceptual framework for studying postmaterialist patterns but also tries to demonstrate how research on value change and public opinion have benefited from transnational survey projects such as the World Values Survey and how the “Asian uniqueness” debate remains to be addressed by future scholars.

Keywords: Postmaterialism, Ronald Inglehart, Christian Welzel

Suggested Citation

Chai, Peter, An Introduction to Postmaterialism and Its Empirical Foundation (April 19, 2022). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4096462 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4096462

Peter Chai (Contact Author)

Graduate School of Political Science, Waseda University ( email )

1-6-1 Nishiwaseda, Shinjuku-ku
Tokyo, 169-8050
Japan

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