Introduction

In my final project, I attempt to investigate the impact of cultural tightness on values and beliefs of people in different societies. Cultural tightness, a new cultural dimension developed by Gelfand in 2006, refers to the strength of norms and degree of sanctioning within societies. Research has identified its influence on creativity, leadership, and personality, acknowledging its vital role on shaping people’s mind.

Data

Cultural tightness

I will use the data from Gelfand’s research, which calculates the tightness score of 33 countries.

Values and beliefs

I will use the data from World Values Survey Wave 6: 2010-2014, which is the most updated version. It contains 60 countries’ scores of more than 200 variables. It can be downloaded from the website of World Values Survey.

Methodology

In order to fulfill the objective of my project, I will first categorize the variables into topics such as economy, education, and gender equality. Then I will use regression to determine whether cultural tightness influences people’s values and beliefs on these topics. Data filtering, regression, and visualization will be employed in my projects.

Why does it matter?

A better grasp of cultural variation across societies will inform conversations and improve communication. My project might help us understand why values and beliefs of people from different cultural backgrounds differ and help us develop common ground.

References

Gelfand, M. J., Raver, J. L., Nishii, L., Leslie, L. M., Lun, J., Lim, B. C., … & Aycan, Z. (2011). Differences between tight and loose cultures: A 33-nation study. science, 332(6033), 1100-1104.