Since 1987, a multitude of studies referring to the Schwartz (1992) structural model of human values have been published. Although most studies support this conceptual approach, few were based on representative samples. The implementation of the biennial European Social Survey (ESS) in 2002, which included responses from 71 representative national samples from 32 countries to a 21-item version of the Portrait Values Questionnaire, provided data for assessing this model of human values.This article presents structural analyses of these data using a theory-based approach to multidimensional scaling that can be applied to optimally assess the fit of data to diverse theories. The analyses support the circular structure of basic values across countries and within countries across time. They also replicate two findings based on other samples, surveys, and methods of analysis: Deviations from the structure are fewer and the contrast between protection and growth values is sharper in more developed societies.

Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) has been a central tool of psychological research into value structure for more than two decades. MDS is usually applied in an exploratory way because strict confirmatory analyses are still difficult to realize, due to the manifold problems of how to impose regional constraints on MDS solutions. “Weak confirmatory approaches” (Borg & Staufenbiel, 2007) which use a theory-based starting configuration could be an acceptable compromise. In this paper, we outline how such a configuration can be derived from Schwartz's (1992, p. 14) original model, which is characterized by a strict circular structure. Such a “parsimonious” structure seems particularly suited for multi-method studies. We also apply this configuration to the Spanish value data from the first three rounds of the European Social Survey to illustrate the procedure. Finally, we show how to test whether and to what extent regional adjustments of single items affect the overall fit of the respective MDS solution.

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