Evaluation of National Character in 53 Countries Based on the Social Capital Concepts

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to measure the national character of the 1990s and 2000s, and compare the changes in their measurements in order to propose that national character changes with the times. This study focuses on 53 countries around the world. National character is defined by the concept of social capital, characterized by three components. Using the data from the World Values Survey, factor analysis and structural equation models measure six factors of national character, which relates to three components of social capital concepts. The changes in national character are evaluated by the comparison of the values and differences in population means between the answers to questions in the 1990s and the 2000s. This study finds that the measurements of six factors have changed from 1990s to 2000s. By comparing the 1990s and the 2000s, the results of measurements show that each factor of national character changes with the times. This implies that the measurements of national character used in previous studies may not always adequately represent the current situation in each country.