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Rokeach Value Survey

RVSTwo sets of 18 values guiding life across all cultures: Terminal Values (desired end states of existence — what individuals strive to achieve in life) and Instrumental Values (preferable modes of behaviour — how individuals should act to achieve terminal goals). Values are defined as enduring prescriptive or proscriptive beliefs that a specific end state or mode of conduct is preferred to an opposite.
36 items 1973 α rho .70–.82 (test-retest) Free Rokeach, M.

What it measures

The foundational values measurement instrument in consumer and social research. The 36 values have been used in hundreds of marketing studies to understand consumer segments, cross-cultural value differences, and links between values, attitudes, and behaviour. The standard format is rank ordering (ordinal scores), though Likert and anchored-endpoint interval-scale formats have been validated as acceptable alternatives (Munson & McIntyre 1979). Terminal values structure: self-actualisation/hedonism, idealism, and security dimensions. Instrumental values structure: self-direction, conformity, and virtuousness dimensions (Crosby et al. 1990). Shortened versions (12 or 15 values) relevant to consumer behaviour have been validated (Munson & McQuarrie 1988). Values range in mean importance from M=4.5 (social recognition) to M=6.6 (honesty, self-respect).

Representative items

Citation

Rokeach, M. (1973). The Nature of Human Values. Free Press.

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