Values and Targets of Hope

Abstract

AbstractThe current chapter is dedicated to evaluate the first element of the proposed hope concept, examining the role of human values in the general perception of hope and in the adoption of significant targets of hope across different cultures. The study employed the value model of Shalom Schwartz and elaborated conceptual connections to the phenomenon of hope. Based on data collected with the Hope Barometer in November 2018 (N = 5832) in German and French speaking Switzerland, Spain, Portugal and the Czech Republic, this study analyzes the commonalities and possible cultural differences in the levels of perceived hope, in individual hope targets, and in the effects of particular human value orientations on hope. Our findings indicate that hope is not determined by the wealth of a nation (e.g., in terms of GDP) but by personal and collective characteristics, to a certain extent influenced by basic human values. The results disclose the almost universal significance of self-transcendence and openness to change, as well as the relevance of tradition and achievement in relation to a hopeful attitude and to central prosocial and altruistic targets of hope. Beyond common features across cultures, this study reveals subtle cultural differences worth to be further investigated in future studies.