An Empirical Study Of The Cultural Values Of The Post-1990s Generation In Northwest Regions Based On Schwartz’s Cross-cultural Theory

Currently, our country is in the new period of rapid development. The global, informational and multicultural fields have been developing with great vitality, which greatly influences the value of the whole social system and the value orientation of the whole society. Accordingly, the college students’ pluralistic value approval has drawn intense attention and been one of the hot topics in recent ten years. Among the various theorizing attempts of values, the most recent arrival, Schwartz’s value theory have probably been the most comprehensive and theoretically driven one. However, in China mainland, the relevant empirical research is relatively scarce and the diversity of today’s Chinese society is not given sufficient attention. Therefore, with the help of the recognized Schwartz’s cross-cultural theory, this study is designed to empirically analyze the values of the Post-90 s generation(ages between 17-26 years old). Specifically, this study addresses three questions: The first two is to respectively find out the current cultural value priorities and value structure for the contemporary Chinese Post-90 s generation in northwest regions(Shaanxi and Gansu Province) under the context of globalization. The third is to examine what factors may influence or restrict the value formation of the contemporary Chinese Post-90 s generation in northwest regions.By carrying out the PVQ(Portrait Values Questionnaire) surveys among 531 contemporary Chinese Post-90 s generation especially postgraduates and undergraduates in Shaanxi and Gansu Province, it is found that the values of the Post-90 s generation have undergone new changes in the new era. To be specific, as a whole, the values of the Post-90 s generation in northwest regions are diversified. Students in this region values Hedonism and Self-direction most while values Power least. Besides, the Schwartz’s individual-level values theory is largely supported in the study. In other words, the ten distinct regions reflecting ten universal value types postulated by Schwartz’s individual-level values theory were arranged in a circular construct as predicted. Furthermore, gender and educational level are both found to be significantly influential in values development. Male students tend to be more open and self-enhancement while female students are more conservative and self-transcendence. Meanwhile, the intellectual openness, flexibility and breadth of perspective essential for self-direction values are likely to be promoted by educational experiences. Specifically, in the northwest regions, male students put more emphasis on Power, Stimulation and Achievement values while female students attribute more importance to Benevolence, Universalism and Security. The undergraduates are highly likely to emphasize Stimulation and Hedonism while values like Achievement and Benevolence mean a lot to postgraduates.In addition, this thesis compares the results with those obtained five years ago in Shanghai(Liu, 2011) and find that the values are dynamic and are affected by different life circumstances. At last, some implications of the current study for Chinese values studies are noted and directions for further research are proposed on the basis of the study of this thesis.