After a survey of the literature on the concept and measurement of values, a series of in-depth interviews held in England by GALLUP UK, group discussions conducted by the Institut für Demoskopie in Allensbach (Germany) and a review of survey archive material by IFOP/Faits et Opinions (Paris), the technical group produced the 1981-questionnaire. A preliminary version of the questionnaire was tested in a pilot survey using quota samples of 200 respondents in France, Great Britain, West Germany, and Spain. The final 1981-questionnaire was produced in English, which was translated to the national languages.

Nationally representative samples were selected for the fieldwork that was conducted in March-May 1981. The target number of interviews in each country was set at 1000, with an additional booster quota sample of 200 young adults aged 18-24. National data sets were weighted to adjust for age distribution.

Fieldwork was conducted by interviewing agencies in each country, coordinated by Gallup in London. The survey rendered success since in subsequent years (large parts of) the survey has been replicated in a large number of countries. These countries include Argentina, Australia, Chile, Canada, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Malta, Mexico, Norway, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, US, and parts of the Soviet Union.

Access to data and documentation

Data and Documentation: Information about and access to the integrated dataset and documentation.
Participating countries and country-information: Information about national datasets and access to field questionnaires.

Comparisons across EVS waves

The Common EVS/WVS Dictionary – EVS Trend provides an overview of all variables used in the five EVS waves and their correspondence in terms of comparability. Further, the EVS variable catalogue in the GESIS Search contains the variable documentation and enables the search for variables and questions as well as their comparison.
EVS 1981-2017 Method Overview provides summarized information for all participating countries on origin and content of data in the single EVS waves.