The UK in the World Values Survey

Since 1981, the World Values Survey has captured the views of almost 400,000 respondents in over 110 countries, covering topics including cultural identity, migration, trust, empathy, tolerance, media consumption, political interest, the environment and more. For the first time in over 15 years, the UK will be part of the WVS. With a high-quality random probability sample representing each of the four nations that make up the UK, this project will make a major contribution to the study of values, attitudes, and beliefs across the UK during a period of profound change. There is real concern about the extent and growth of polarisation and division in the UK, highlighted since the EU referendum result and reinforced in the 2019 general election. However, there is much less evidence and precision in understanding the nature and trajectory of these trends. Currently, we lack an understanding of the values driving division, what we can learn from other countries, and how long-term trends in attitudes and values are diverging or converging. Absent appropriate evidence bases, we potentially risk exaggerating the level of division, missing what brings us together, talking ourselves into problems we don’t currently have, and mischaracterising the real nature of the challenges we face.