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Countries: Japan & Spain

Three surprising insights from the World Values Survey (2017–2022):

Work is highly valued in both countries, but even more in Spain

A majority of respondents in both Japan (52.1%) and Spain (62.4%) consider work very important in their lives. This is somewhat surprising because Japan is globally associated with a strong work ethic and long working hours. However, the data suggests that people in Spain express an even stronger subjective importance of work, possibly reflecting economic factors, job security concerns, or cultural attitudes toward employment.

Religion has relatively low importance in both societies

In both Japan and Spain, most respondents report that religion is not very important or not at all important (over 65% combined in both countries). This is particularly unexpected in the case of Spain, which has deep historical and cultural roots in Catholicism. The results may reflect ongoing secularization trends and changing personal values, especially among younger generations.

Significant cultural differences in attitudes toward child obedience

Only 5.0% of respondents in Japan consider obedience an important quality for children, compared to 31.4% in Spain. This indicates a notable difference in parenting values: Japanese respondents may prioritize independence, self-discipline, or social harmony over strict obedience, while Spanish respondents appear more likely to value obedience as a desirable trait in child development.

These findings highlight how cultural stereotypes do not always align with empirical data and show the importance of examining values through comparative research.

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Protecting the Environment vs. Economic Growth

The results reveal a contrast between the two countries. In France, there appears to be a clear “green mandate”, with more than half of the population (50.5%) firmly prioritizing environmental protection over economic growth. Japan, in contrast, seems far more conflicted on this issue. Nearly one third of Japanese respondents (32%) reported being undecided, compared to only 8% in France. This difference suggests that while French public opinion may be more polarized between environmental and economic priorities, Japanese respondents might perceive these two dimensions as closely interconnected, making it more difficult to clearly prioritize one over the other.

A Pre-school Child Suffers if the Mother Works

The survey results challenge the common stereotype of Japan as a more traditional society compared to France. In fact, the French data reveal a strong polarization of opinions. Although a significant proportion of respondents strongly disagree with the statement (35.7%), almost 31% of the population still believes that children may suffer if their mother works.

Japan, instead, shows a broader consensus that children do not suffer when mothers are employed, with 68.5% of respondents expressing some level of disagreement with the statement. However, this consensus appears less strongly expressed, as there are fewer respondents who strongly disagree and a relatively high percentage of “Don’t know” responses (17.4%). This pattern suggests that while the debate in France may be more ideological and emotionally charged, Japanese society may be gradually moving toward a more pragmatic and normalized view of dual-income families, even if individuals remain somewhat cautious about taking a very strong position.

Information Source: Social media (Facebook, X, etc.)

Although Japan is often perceived as a highly technological society, the WVS data reveal a rather traditional pattern of news consumption.

First, there is a clear “never” majority: 54.2% of Japanese respondents report that they never use social media platforms such as Facebook or X to obtain news. In contrast, only 25.1% of respondents state that they use social media daily for this purpose.

In a global context where social media frequently contributes to political polarization and concerns about misinformation, Japan’s continued reliance on more traditional and curated sources of information, such as television and newspapers, may help explain the relatively high levels of social stability and institutional trust observed in other survey indicators.

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Italy and Morocco  (Mariachiara Pugliese) 

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Italy and Morocco  (Mariachiara Pugliese) 

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• 1. The Happiness Level is Nearly Identical: Despite different socio-economic contexts, the overall sense of well-being is remarkably similar. When combining "Very happy" and "Quite happy," Italy reaches 82.3%, while Morocco slightly exceeds it at 82.8%. This suggests that happiness is deeply rooted in cultural and community factors rather than just material wealth.

• 2. A Significant Gap in Interreligious Trust: There is a notable contrast in how people trust those of a different faith. In Italy, the majority of the sample (50.5%) shows some level of trust. However, in Morocco, there is a much higher level of skepticism: 69.2% of respondents state they do not trust people from another religion "very much" or "at all."

• 3. Subjective Health Perceptions: Although Italy has a world-renowned healthcare system, the gap in subjective health isn't as wide as one might expect. While 65.5% of Italians rate their health as "good" or "very good," a solid 57.9% of Moroccans also feel positive about their physical state, highlighting how health perception can be highly subjective.

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"Pre-school child suffers with working mother"

-Argentina: 27% agree, but 40,1% disagree.

-Austria: 34,9% agree, but 35,1% disagree.

Based on the percentages, it can be noticed that in Austria the number of people who agree with the issue is almost equal to the number of people who disagree. Therefore, based on this, Argentina seems to show a greater contrast to this mindset.

"Jobs scarce: Men should have more right to a job than women"

-Argentina: 13,6% agree, 17,4% neither agree nor disagree, 67,4% disagree.

-Austria: 10% agree, 18,5% neither agree nor diasgree, 41,6% disagree strongly.

This is a more complex problem, because while it is true that in both countries there are high percentages of people who do not agree with the statement, it is also true that both in Austria and in Argentina there is still a number of people too high who do not know whether to agree or not. This is worrying, because it highlights the possible problems that women could face in times of economic crisis.

"Homosexual couples are as good parents as other couples"

-Argentina: 37,1% agree, 27,9% neither agree nor disagree, 18,9% disagree, 14,8% don't know.

-Austria: 26,1% agree strongly, 12% neither agree nor disagree, 15,2% disagree strongly, 7% don't know.

On this statement, it seems that both countries agree with high percentages. Although the percentages of those who do not know whether to agree or not remain quite evident, and there is also a notable percentage of people who do not know how to answer, it is also true that it seems that both Argentina and Austria are mentally open to accepting this statement, making great strides for the rights of couples and families with homosexual parents.

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Germany and Egypt (Carmen Giorgia La Russa)

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Germany and Egypt (Carmen Giorgia La Russa)

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“Men make better political leaders than women do”

Germany = 43,6% disagree and 43,3% disagree strongly.

Egypt = 45,6% agree strongly and 35,6% agree.

In Germany, gender equality in politics is an established value, while in Egypt a very strong patriarchal belief about politics persists.

“University is more important for a boy than for a girl”

Germany = 4,6% of interviewed people agree or agree strongly.

Egypt = 30% of interviewed people agree or agree strongly.

While in Germany access to education is seen as a gender-neutral right, in Egypt almost ⅓ of the population still favors the male academic path.

“Work should always come first even if it means less spare time”

Germany = 29,6% agree or agree strongly.

Egypt = 91,9% agree or agree strongly.

The ⅔ of the Germans interviewed greatly value free time or think it is as important as work time, while in Egypt work is perceived as an absolute moral duty and a necessity of survival that must overshadow free time.