Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ)

Abstract

The Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ) is a widely used psychological instrument developed by Shalom H. Schwartz and colleagues to measure the structure and content of basic human values, derived from the established Schwartz Theory of Basic Values. The PVQ employs a unique methodology where respondents rate themselves against short verbal descriptions, or “portraits,” of different people, each implicitly expressing a specific value priority. This indirect measurement approach makes the PVQ particularly suitable for use across diverse populations, including those with lower educational attainment, as it simplifies the cognitive task compared to earlier value scales.

The PVQ typically assesses 10 distinct, motivationally defined value types. The instrument’s primary goal is to capture individual differences in value priorities, which are crucial for understanding attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors across various cultural and social contexts.

Keywords

Human values, Schwartz, Portrait Values Questionnaire, Cross-cultural psychology, Value priorities, Motivation, Self-Direction, Achievement, Security, Universalism.

Authors

Shalom H. Schwartz, Wolfgang Bilsky, Gila Melech, Ariela Lehmann, Sonia Burgess, Marina Harris, Victoria Owens, Klaus Boehnke, Anat Bardi.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the PVQ is to operationalize and measure the 10 basic motivational value types posited by the Schwartz Theory of Basic Values. Unlike the earlier Schwartz Value Survey (SVS), which required abstract ratings of value importance, the PVQ was specifically designed to be more accessible and less cognitively demanding. It achieves this by presenting relatable “portraits” that describe a person’s goals, aspirations, or wishes, allowing respondents to judge how similar they are to the person described.

The instrument is essential for researchers studying the relationship between personal values and various psychological outcomes, including political attitudes, consumer behavior, ethical decision-making, and organizational commitment. The PVQ’s cross-cultural applicability allows for robust comparisons of value structures across different nations and demographic groups, confirming the near-universal nature of the value structure.

Construct

The PVQ measures the 10 basic motivational value types, which are defined by the underlying goal they express. These 10 values are structured in a circular, quasi-circumplex arrangement, reflecting dynamic relations (compatibility and conflict) between them. The 10 value types measured by the PVQ are:

• Conformity: Restraint of actions, inclinations, and impulses likely to upset or harm others and violate social expectations or norms.
• Tradition: Respect, commitment, and acceptance of the customs and ideas that traditional culture or religion provides the self.
• Benevolence: Preservation and enhancement of the welfare of people with whom one is in frequent personal contact (the in-group).
• Universalism: Understanding, appreciation, tolerance, and protection for the welfare of all people and for nature.
• Self-Direction: Independent thought and action—choosing, creating, exploring.
• Stimulation: Excitement, novelty, and challenge in life.
• Hedonism: Pleasure and sensuous gratification for oneself.
• Achievement: Personal success achieved through demonstrating competence according to social standards.
• Power: Social status and prestige, control or dominance over people and resources.
• Security: Safety, harmony, and stability of society, of relationships, and of self.

These 10 values are further organized along two major bipolar dimensions: Self-Transcendence (Universalism, Benevolence) versus Self-Enhancement (Power, Achievement), and Openness to Change (Self-Direction, Stimulation, Hedonism) versus Conservation (Security, Conformity, Tradition).

Validity

The validity of the PVQ is strongly supported by extensive cross-cultural research, demonstrating that the conceptualized structure of values holds true across dozens of countries and diverse demographic groups. Construct validity is established by the consistent correlation patterns observed between the PVQ scores and relevant attitudes and behaviors, as predicted by the underlying theory of basic values.

Specifically, studies (such as Schwartz et al., 2001) confirm the validity of the PVQ as a method for measuring basic human values, showing that it successfully replicates the quasi-circumplex structure found previously using the SVS. This replication supports the theory that the dynamic relationships—the conflicts and compatibilities—between the 10 value types are consistent, regardless of whether values are measured abstractly or via portraits.

Reliability

The PVQ demonstrates satisfactory levels of internal consistency reliability across its motivational dimensions, particularly when the individual items are aggregated to form the 10 main value scores. While the reliability (typically assessed using Cronbach’s alpha) for single-item scales can be low, the multi-item scales for the 10 basic values generally meet acceptable standards for research instruments, often falling in the range of .60 to .80, depending on the specific value type and the cultural sample examined.

The reliability of the PVQ is often enhanced in its later, expanded versions (e.g., PVQ-40 or PVQ-57), which utilize more items per value type, thereby strengthening the measurement of the underlying construct and improving the stability of the value scores.

Factor Analysis

The structural validity of the PVQ is typically assessed using techniques like Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) or Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Early research employed MDS to visually confirm the circular arrangement of the 10 value types, showing that neighboring values are positively correlated and opposing values are negatively correlated, consistent with the theoretical model.

More rigorous evaluations, such as those conducted by Schwartz and Boehnke (2004), utilize CFA to test whether the observed covariance structure of the PVQ items aligns statistically with the hypothesized 10-factor model, or the higher-order structure (Conservation vs. Openness to Change, Self-Enhancement vs. Self-Transcendence). These analyses generally support the theoretical distinctions among the 10 value types, although minor variations may appear across different cultural contexts.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire, Psychological scale

Format: 40-item scale (PVQ-40, presented here), using short descriptive “portraits” (vignettes) followed by a 6-point Likert-type response scale.

Language Available: Widely translated into dozens of languages for use in large international surveys (e.g., European Social Survey).

Population Group: General population, suitable for adolescents and adults.

Age Group: Typically 15 years and older, though versions exist for younger respondents (e.g., PVQ-Youth).

Population Details: Designed specifically for populations with varying educational levels, making it highly effective in large-scale cross-cultural studies.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate how much the person described in each portrait is “Like Me.” The response options provided in the source content are: Not at All Like Me, Not Like Me, A Little Like Me, Somewhat Like Me, Like Me, Very Much Like Me.

Keywords

PVQ-40, Shalom Schwartz, Social psychology, Cross-cultural measurement, Value structure, Personality assessment, Basic values, Likert scale.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not Specified

Affiliation Email addresses: Not Specified

Correspondence Address: Not Specified

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Portrait Values Questionnaire is generally available for non-commercial academic research use, though researchers should consult the official sources or Shalom Schwartz directly regarding formal permissions. The version of the PVQ shown here (PVQ-40) was developed and refined around 2001 (Schwartz et al., 2001) as a methodological improvement over earlier versions (PVQ-21).

The original PDF of the Human Values module, including this instrument, used in the European Social Survey (ESS) can be downloaded here: ESS_core_questionnaire_human_values.pdf

Reference’s

• Schwartz, S. H., & Bilsky, W. (1987). Toward a universal psychological structure of human values. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 550–562.
• Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. In Zanna M. (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology 25, (pp. 1–65). New York: Academic Press.
• Schwartz, S. H., & Bardi, A. (1997). Influences of adaptation to communist rule on value priorities in Eastern Europe. Political Psychology, 18, 385–410.
• Schwartz, S. H. (1996). Value priorities and behavior: Applying a theory of integrated value systems. In C. Seligman, J. M. Olson, & M. P. Zanna (Eds.), The psychology of values (pp. 1–24). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
• Schwartz, S. H., Melech, G., Lehmann, A., Burgess, S., Harris, M., & Owens, V. (2001). Extending the cross-cultural validity of the basic human values with a different method of measurement. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 32, 519–542.
• Schwartz, S. H., & Boehnke, K. (2004). Evaluating the structure of human values with confirmatory factor analysis. Journal of Research in Personality, 38, 230–255.
• Schwartz, S. H. (2012). An Overview of the Schwartz Theory of Basic Values. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1116
• Schwartz, et al. (2001). Portrait Values Questionnaire. In: Simmons C. A., Lehmann P. (eds). Tools for strengths-based assessment and evaluation, New York, NY: Springer, pp. 281-284. (2013). Google Scholar

Items of the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Masculine Version: for Feminine Version, change all pronouns to the Feminine

1. Thinking up new ideas and being creative is important to him. He likes to do things in his own original way.
2. It is important to him to be rich. He wants to have a lot of money and expensive things.
3. He thinks it is important that every person in the world be treated equally. He believes everyone should have equal opportunities in life.
4. It’s very important to him to show his abilities. He wants people to admire what he does.
5. It is important to him to live in secure surroundings. He avoids anything that might endanger his safety.
6. He thinks it is important to do lots of different things in life. He always looks for new things to try.
7. He believes that people should do what they’re told. He thinks people should follow rules at all times, even when no- one is watching.
8. It is important to him to listen to people who are different from him. Even when he disagrees with them, he still wants to understand them.
9. He thinks it’s important not to ask for more than what you have. He believes that people should be satisfied with what they have.
10. He seeks every chance he can to have fun. It is important to him to do things that give him pleasure.
11. It is important to him to make his own decisions about what he does. He likes to be free to plan and to choose his activities for himself.
12. It’s very important to him to help the people around him. He wants to care for their well-being.
13. Being very successful is important to him. He likes to impress other people.
14. It is very important to him that his country be safe. He thinks the state must be on watch against threats from within and without.
15. He likes to take risks. He is always looking for adventures.
16. It is important to him always to behave properly. He wants to avoid doing anything people would say is wrong.
17. It is important to him to be in charge and tell others what to do. He wants people to do what he says.
18. It is important to him to be loyal to his friends. He wants to devote himself to people close to him.
19. He strongly believes that people should care for nature. 1. Looking after the environment is important to him.
20. Religious belief is important to him. He tries hard to do what his religion requires.
21. It is important to him that things be organized and clean. He really does not like things to be a mess.
22. He thinks it’s important to be interested in things. He likes to be curious and to try to understand all sorts of things.
23. He believes all the world’s people should live in harmony. Promoting peace among all groups in the world is important to him.
24. He thinks it is important to be ambitious. He wants to show how capable he is.
25. He thinks it is best to do things in traditional ways. It is important to him to keep up the customs he has learned.
26. Enjoying life’s pleasures is important to him. He likes to spoil himself.
27. It is important to him to respond to the needs of others. He tries to support those he knows.
28. He believes he should always show respect to his parents and to older people. It is important to him to be obedient.
29. He wants everyone to be treated justly, even people he doesn’t know. It is important to him to protect the weak in society.
30. He likes surprises. It is important to him to have an exciting life.
31. He tries hard to avoid getting sick. Staying healthy is very important to him.
32. Getting ahead in life is important to him. He strives to do better than others.
33. Forgiving people who have hurt him is important to him. He tries to see what is good in them and not to hold a grudge.
34. It is important to him to be independent. He likes to rely on himself.
35. Having a stable government is important to him. He is concerned that the social order be protected.
36. It is important to him to be polite to other people all the time. He tries never to disturb or irritate others.
37. He really wants to enjoy life. Having a good time is very important to him.
38. It is important to him to be humble and modest. He tries not to draw attention to himself.
39. He always wants to be the one who makes the decisions. He likes to be the leader.
40. It is important to him to adapt to nature and to fit into it. He believes that people should not change nature.

Response Scale: Not at All Like Me, Not Like Me, A Little Like Me, Somewhat Like Me, Like Me, Very Much Like Me

Value Dimensions and Item Mapping:

• Conformity (7, 16, 28, 36)
• Tradition (9, 20, 25, 38)
• Benevolence (12, 18, 27, 33)
• Universalism (3, 8, 19, 23, 29, 40)
• Self-Direction (1, 11, 22, 34)
• Stimulation (6, 15, 30)
• Hedonism (10, 26, 37)
• Achievement (4, 13, 24, 32)
• Power (2, 17, 39)
• Security (5, 14, 21, 31, 35)