A REFINED INGLEHART INDEX OF MATERIALISM AND POSTMATERIALISM

The Inglehart index of post-materialism is measured by people’s priority for low inflation and order. We use regression analysis to correct national averages of the Inglehart index for the effects of observed inflation and (violent) crime rates for selected European, Asian and South American countries. Low inflation and low crime rates significantly increase the Inglehart index, but we also observe a trend towards post-materialistic values. This trend cannot be explained by economic growth alone.