Structural Equivalence Of Values Domains In China: Values Among Migrant Workers And Local Permanent Residents In Shanghai

Values, the most central feature of culture (Schwartz, 1999; Hofstede, 1980; Weber, 1958; Williams, 1968), have been one of the core concepts in explaining cultural differences. Among various theorizing attempts of values, Schwartz's comprehensive values framework is gaining increasing acceptance and widely drawn upon in cross-cultural studies. However, a comparison between individuals (and samples) from two countries should only be undertaken if structural equivalence at the individual level has been demonstrated for those countries (Fischer et al., 2010). In China, the scant relevant literature along with the cultural diversity suggest further validation of the fits of the value structures of the Chinese individuals to the universal structure of values postulated by Schwartz's universal values theory.By employing two samples, migrant workers (n=208) and local permanent residents (n=174) in Shanghai, which enabled discriminating within-country from between-country difference, the current study examined the cross-cultural equivalence of the value structures of Chinese individuals to the theorized universal model, as measured by the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ). This study also examined the similarities and differences in the value priorities of the two sample groups in seeking to distinguish the hierarchies of their values, hoping that it might lead to behavior prediction which would promote the harmonious social contact of the two groups.This study has the following findings: (a) the observed structures of the Chinese individuals fitted to the universal structure of human values as postulated a priori by Schwartz. (b) Certain deviations from the ideal model were observed, which did not suggest reliable and meaningful patterns proposing any alternative structures of values in the Chinese context. (c) Conformity ranked number one for both groups. (d) The two groups attributed equal importance to conformity, achievement, security and tradition. (e) Shanghai local permanent residents put more emphasis on self-enhancement and openness to change values while the migrant workers emphasized more on the transcendence values. (f) Power was the least important value for the migrant workers. (g) The migrant workers tended to be more social-focused while the Shanghai permanent residents tended to be more person-focused.Practical implications of the present study of values in China from the cross-cultural perspective were noted and directions for future research were proposed at the end of the thesis.