Asia Values

While I was rummaging literature about worldview differences between West and Asia, I found several useful databases that may provide quantitative evidence. Because large-scale, cross-cultural surveys are relatively few in Asia than in the US (e.g., NES, GSS...) and in Europe (Eurobarometer), I think it's worth a note.

1. Asiabarometer is a comparative survey in Asia, covering East, Southeast, South and Central Asia. A Japanese scholar is in charge of the center. Many cross-national studies are based on the datasets. The data can be downloaded either at its Web site or through ICPSR, of which the University of Wisconsin is a member.

2. Asian Barometer is surprisingly different from the previous dataset. It is maintained by the Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, National Taiwan University. The survey includes some interesting questions about "traditional Chinese values;" for example, "it is a shame for a man to work for a woman." There are also measures about political participation, media use, and national identity.

3. East Asia Value Survey. Unlike the previous two, which focus more on the "opinion" aspect, EAVS emphasizes the "value" aspect. For example, EAVS probes the relationship between human and nature or people's environmental beliefs. Taiwan is also included in this survey.

The Democracy Study Center at UC-Irvine actually compiled a webpage that includes many international survey databases.

A ASEP/JDS-maintained website also gives good resources for comparative studies.