Cultural Divide

Foreign Policy: The True Clash of Civilizations

The chart on the previous page draws on responses to various political and social issues in the World Values Survey. The percentages indicate the extent to which respondents agreed/disagreed with or approved/disapproved of the following statements and questions:

Democratic Performance
Democracies are indecisive and have too much quibbling. (Strongly disagree.)
Democracies aren’t good at maintaining order. (Strongly disagree.)

Democratic Ideals
Democracy may have problems, but it’s better than any other form of government. (Strongly agree.)
Approve of having a democratic political system. (Strongly agree.)

Strong Leaders
Approve of having experts, not government, make decisions according to what they think is best for the country. (Strongly disagree.)
Approve of having a strong leader who does not have to bother with parliament and elections. (Strongly disagree.)

Religious Leaders
Politicians who do not believe in God are unfit for public office. (Strongly disagree.)
It would be better for [this country] if more people with strong religious beliefs held public office. (Strongly disagree.)


Gender Equality
On the whole, men make better political leaders than women do. (Strongly disagree.)
When jobs are scarce, men should have more right to a job than women. (Strongly disagree.)
A university education is more important for a boy than for a girl. (Strongly disagree.)
A woman has to have children in order to be fulfilled. (Strongly disagree.)
If a woman wants to have a child as a single parent but she doesn’t want to have a stable relationship with a man, do you approve or disapprove? (Strongly approve.)

Divorce
Divorce can always be justified, never be justified, or something in between. (High level of tolerance for divorce.)

Abortion
Abortion can always be justified, never be justified, or something in between. (High level of tolerance for abortion.)

Homosexuality
Homosexuality can always be justified, never be justified, or something in between. (High level of tolerance for homosexuality.)