Basic Values Survey (BVS) - A 20-nation validation study
Abstract. The present paper tests the structure and invariance of the Functional Theory of Human Values across 20 countries (N = 21,362). This theory proposes that values have the functions of guiding behaviour and expressing needs. The interplay between these two functions produces six subfunctions that in turn produce distinct content. These subfunctions are operationalised in the Basic Values Survey with three items each, forming an 18-item measure. Although this measure has been used for more than two decades, studies examining its psychometric properties in multiple-group data are scarce. Using multidimensional scaling (MDS), it was found that values were organised in a bidimensional space according to the hypothesised degree of congruence between subfunctions. Also, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) with a Bayes estimator and approximate zero cross-loadings and residual correlations supported the six-factor structure. A strict CFA with Robust-ML estimator did not support the model. Metric invariance was supported for all the items, except religiosity, using the alignment method and approximate Bayesian invariance.