Rural conservatism and the urban spirit of capitalism? On the geography of human values

Abstract

This analysis makes an empirical enquiry into urban–rural and regional value differences in Europe. In this task we use the 7th Round of the European Social Survey (ESS) and Eurostat’s NUTS-level data and focus on four value orientations derived from the Human Values Scale: Self-enhancement, Self-transcendence, Openness to change and Conservation. Results show that the most distinct urban–rural differences lie in the Conservation versus Openness to change axis. Additionally, Conservation is associated with lower regional gross domestic product (GDP), whereas Self-enhancement, emphasizing a motivation for self-interest and interpersonal rivalry and hence behavioural dimension of capitalism, is positively associated with population density.