ABSTRACT
Few studies have assessed how respondents, themselves, understand and evaluate the value measurement task in both national and cross-national surveys of personal values. This study, conducted in Canada and Denmark, aimed at a better understanding of respondents’ reactions to value items. Alternate approaches to measuring people’s value priorities were tested. This was achieved by explicitly distinguishing between respondents’ day-to-day (“ real ”) life and their “ ideal” life. The predictive power of both value types was tested with the concept of product involvement. Results from both countries reveal some significant differences between “ real ” and “ ideal ” life values. Both were related to product involvement. The findings highlight the need for greater attention to the measurement methodology for obtaining value data, especially in cross-national research. [Article copies available from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678.]
