Ценности пожилых в стареющем мире

Abstract

The article examines the problem of dependence of values adjusted to the different age groups on the age and cohort factors. According to Schwartz and Inglehart, basic human values determine the behavior of people in various areas, including politics and economy. Consequently, the study of factors influencing the development of values in the age groups may be important for predicting their behavior in different life situations. The article criticizes the theories denying the role of the age factor in the formation of a person's value system, including Inglehart's claim that the age factor is significant only in developed countries. We have analyzed data from the 5th and 6th waves of the World Values Survey in order to examine the relationship between the age and values of respondents in all macro-regions of the world, including Western and Eastern Europe, the English-speaking countries, Latin America, Middle and Central Asia, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa. We report that the values of age groups are changing in the process of aging according to a single pattern throughout the world. With age, people are more inclined to share the values of Conservation and Self-transcendence (in Schwartz's terms), while the values of Openness to Change and Self-enhancement gradually fade into the background. At the same time, there exist regional specifics due to cultural differences, which, however, do not change the overall picture.