Intergenerational Value Differences in Latvia and Azerbaijan

Abstract

This study was conducted in two post-Soviet countries: Latvia and Azerbaijan. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Latvia and Azerbaijan took different developmental paths: Latvia became more oriented toward Western Europe, while Azerbaijan became closer to Turkey and to the Islamic world. Our study identifies similarities and differences in the value priorities of ethnic majorities and Russian ethnic minorities in these countries. Our samples included two generations of Russians in Azerbaijan, Azerbaijanis, Russians in Latvia, and Latvians. We used the 57-item Portrait Values Questionnaire-Revised (PVQ-R) to measure individual values. We have conducted group comparison between two generations within countries among majorities and Russian minorities (1), within generations between countries (2), and across countries on a family level (3) using paired samples t-test and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) for groups’ comparison. We discuss the revealed value differences based on age of participants, their majority or minority status, ethnic self-identification, differences of sociocultural contexts, and different trajectories of post-Soviet development.