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In the course of 2006, with the assistance of many values survey experts in East Asia, a paper was written titled "East Asian Values Surveys. Making a case for East Asian-origin values survey concepts". The paper was the first delivery in a project sponsored by ZUMA, Centre for Survey Research and Methodology in Mannheim, Germany. The paper has appeared as Working Paper 2006/05 in the ZUMA Working Paper series and is available online on the ZUMA website. See also downloads frame to the right.

The project and the paper aim to contribute to social scientific work towards enhancing the cultural fit of comparative values surveys projects on a conceptual level both for Western and East Asian survey research communities and their publics. It starts with noting that, after a long period in which Western values were regarded superior (‘orientalism’), in recent decades certain East Asian and specifically Confucian values are much celebrated (‘reversed orientalism’). Yet, most contemporary cross-culturally comparative values surveys, also those surveying East Asian publics, still build on Western, universalist, individualist values conceptions only. Universalism claims values concepts have an absolute nature, are part of the basic human (psychological) condition, and are thus applicable in any cultural context. Particularism, more likely to be found in the East Asian context, claims that at least some concepts depend on the social context, can thus not be generalized, but consequently are unique to particular cultures.

Universalism mimics individualism like particularism matches collectivism; values dimensions that are believed to distinguish Western from East Asian cultures.

A subsequent review of recent values literature on the domains of work, politics, religion, and family life, more precisely illustrates the nature of these East Asian context values. Some concepts emerge across domains: sacrifice for one’s in-group, preservation of reciprocal relationship, and assurance of material benefits seem basic traits that cross the work, political, religious and family values domains in East Asia. The paper shows that most Western values are not universal and thus that comparative surveys building on this logic are inadequate. It is time to enrich our comparative surveys with insights from non-Western cultures. Doing so also enables us to survey how particular East Asian values really are. The paper finally proposes to engage in systemic analyses of East Asian values surveys and organize a series of seminars which include Western and East Asian survey experts who list the key candidate items for inclusion in future comparative values surveys and who discuss appropriate ‘collectivist’ survey methodologies.

ZUMA sponsored this project (through Pyrrhula BV) with a generous grant covering the February-October 2006 period. It has also supported longer term visits to the East Asian region during and beyond this period. ZUMA's ECCS, European Centre for Comparative Surveys will play a major role in the follow-up of the project: analyzing the available East Asian Values Surveys and organizing a series of seminars that include established and younger generation East Asian values experts. Private funding organisations are also contacted to assist in the funding of these efforts.

ZUMA/ECCS has continued financial support for the January - July 2007 period in which a series of working papers on respectively religion, politics, work and family life will be made. Based on these working papers and co-authored by ZUMA/ECCS staff, articles for reputed international social science journal are compiled in the course of 2007. News on these articles will also appear on this page