Multivariate Insights into Discrimination: Analyzing Differences in Human Values among University-Educated Young Adults

Author: Armstrong, Andrew

Publisher: University of Helsinki

Abstract

Discrimination is a heavily researched global social issue with far-reaching, detrimental effects. While most studies focus on the associations between discrimination and its damaging effects, a research gap exists in understanding how discrimination experiences shape core values. This study seeks to identify differences in Schwartz’s human values among university-educated young adults with varying experiences of discrimination. This group is at a life stage marked by active value development, and, as university students, they encounter diverse social contexts that foster value reflection and experiences of discrimination. Drawing on data from the Young Adults and Religion in a Global perspective (YARG) study (14 countries, n = 5, 231), this analysis applies multivariate techniques, including MANOVA and linear discriminant analysis (LDA), to identify group-level value differences.

The results indicate significant value differences based on whether respondents experienced identity-based discrimination and the specific categories of identity-based discrimination they reported. University-educated young adults report lower Conformity and Security value scores if they belong to one or more groups experiencing discrimination. Discrimination based on personally embodied characteristics, such as gender and sexuality, is associated with higher Universalism and lower Tradition value scores. In contrast, discrimination rooted in sociocultural identities, such as nationality, ethnicity, language, and religion, is associated with higher Tradition and slightly lower Universalism value scores. However, this trend varies across national contexts.

These findings illustrate a clear relationship between discrimination and human values, indicating opportunities to tailor anti-discrimination initiatives to the shared values of affected groups and highlighting the need for further research into the mechanisms through which experiences of discrimination shape human values.

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