Religion and Traditional Values in East Asia Exploring Five Comparative Values Surveys in East Asia Henk Vinken Pyrrhula BV & OSA, Institute for Labour Studies Tilburg, Netherlands ECCS, European Centre for Comparative Surveys Mannheim, Germany Asian Lectures Tour March-April 2007

Religion and Traditional Values in East Asia Exploring Five Comparative Values Surveys in East Asia Vinken, H. (2007). Religion and traditional values in East Asia. Exploring five comparative values surveys in East Asia. Working paper for School of Sociology, Kwansei Gakuin University, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan.Religion and traditional values in East Asia. Exploring five comparative values surveys in East Asia Vinken, H. (2006). East Asian Values Surveys. Making a case for East Asian-origin values survey concepts. Mannheim: ZUMA (ZUMA Arbeitsbericht 2006/05; ISSN ).East Asian Values Surveys. Making a case for East Asian-origin values survey concepts Four chapters in P. Ester, M. Braun & P. Mohler (Eds.) (2006), Globalization, value change, and generations. A cross-national and intergenerational perspective. Leiden & Boston: Brill (ISBN ; ISBN ) (Series: European Values Studies, Vol 10.; ISSN ).Globalization, value change, and generations. A cross-national and intergenerational perspective Vinken, H. (2005). Western bias in the sociology of religion. Universalist discourses in sociology and particularist indicators in four key surveys. Working paper for School of Sociology, Kwansei Gakuin University, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan (Download is a revised version submitted to an international social science journal October 2006).Western bias in the sociology of religion. Universalist discourses in sociology and particularist indicators in four key surveys Vinken, H., J. Soeters & P. Ester (Eds.) (2004). Comparing cultures. Dimensions of culture in a comparative perspective. Leiden & Boston: Brill (ISBN ) (Series: International Studies in Sociology and Social Anthropology, Vol. 93; ISSN ).Comparing cultures. Dimensions of culture in a comparative perspective

Central themes * Secularization (modernization) * Individualized religions (postmodernization) * Changes in supply side (rational choice) Theory and data from West: assumption of universality (‘what drives us, drives all’) -> global (religious) values surveys build on this logic are fielded everywhere (also in East Asia) without much change Bias going in two ways (Geert Hofstede, 2007): “Issues prominent in the researcher’s culture but not necessarily relevant to the respondents will be included, and issues crucial in the respondents’ culture but not in the researchers’ may be overlooked”. Religion and Traditional Values in East Asia Exploring Five Comparative Values Surveys in East Asia

If global values surveys are Western, then do we measure and compare Western values or desired states of affairs only? Can we provide an answer to what extent religious experiences and practices of collectivist, particularist, and polytheist cultures are spread across the globe (including the West)? Compare core notions in modernization and postmodernization theses, e.g. notions of ‘pluralism’ and ‘bricolage’... Present global (religious) values data fall short in dealing with these notions Analysing East Asian-origin (religious) values data may come to the aid... Focus on where we expect these values to differ and... bring these in in future global values surveys

Religion and Traditional Values in East Asia Exploring Five Comparative Values Surveys in East Asia East Asian religious values and practices * Syncreticism (reconciling various – opposing – school of thought) * Polytheism * Not one value, belief or practice of pinnacle importance * Transcendent AND worldly deities * Many practices without mediation of an expert * Practical/this-worldly focus, both immaterial and material benefits * Embedded in family life AND government bureaucracy (inseparable virtues, e.g. respecting seniors: benevolent Gods – elderly - bureaucrats) Strong case for interrelationship religious and traditional East Asian values that serve as a ‘virtuous canopy’ for all domains of life

First explain * Proportion of people with religious denomination (syncreticism would predict low numbers) * Frequency of ‘church attendance’ (active, individualized, home- practice would predict low frequency) With * Other religious variables (beliefs, importance, religiosity) * Socio-demographics (generation membership, education) * Nation/city indicators Data * AB, AsiaBarometer (2003) * AnB, Asian Barometer ( ) * EAVS, East Asian Values Survey ( ) * WVS, World Values Survey ( ) * ISSP, International Social Survey Programme, Religion module II (1998)

Religion and Traditional Values in East Asia Exploring Five Comparative Values Surveys in East Asia Table 1: Denomination (a matter of religion) Exp(B)ABAnBEAVSWVSISSP Step 1: religious variables ReligiosityImportanceBeliefs, importance, religiosity Importance, religiosity Beliefs, importance, religiosity R2,12,06,61,50,35 Step 2: add cohorts and education Idem and cohort Idem and cohorts ; 1970+, education Idem and education Idem and both cohorts, education R2,13,09,62,53,40 Step 3: add nation/city Idem and China, South Korea (SK) Idem and Hong Kong (HK), SK and Taiwan Idem, and Chinese cities, Singapore (SGP) SK and Taiwan Idem and China and SK (Japan only) R2,34,23,66,61-

Religion and Traditional Values in East Asia Exploring Five Comparative Values Surveys in East Asia Table 2: Church attendance (a matter of religion and culture) Exp(B)ABAnBEAVSWVSISSP Step 1: religious variables Importance, religiosity Importance-Importance, religiosity Beliefs, importance, religiosity R2,19,02-,39,33 Step 2: add cohorts and education Idem and cohort 1970+, education Idem and cohorts ; 1970+, education -Idem and both cohorts, education Idem (ex beliefs) and both cohorts R2,20,06-,42,33 (ns) Step 3: add nation/city Idem (ex education) and China, SK Idem and HK, SK, Taiwan -Idem (ex cohorts and education) and China and SK (Japan only) R2,35,20-,52-

Religion and Traditional Values in East Asia Exploring Five Comparative Values Surveys in East Asia Secondly check Impact of traditional (East Asian) values indicators in five studies Data * AB: fame son/daughter, relatedness son/daughter * AnB: preservation, harmony * EAVS: gender roles, respect ancestors * WVS: gender roles, piety * ISSP: gender roles Regression shows traditional values are matter of culture * Info on country/city most relevant with China/Chinese cities and SK most support (exception gender roles: China less traditional) * Relationship with religious variables weak (no virtuous canopy?) * Young and higher educated less supportive preservation and gender roles * Harmony and reatedness daughters unaffected (universals?)

Religion and Traditional Values in East Asia Exploring Five Comparative Values Surveys in East Asia Table 4: Denomination (still a matter of religion) Exp(B)ABAnBEAVSWVSISSP Step 3: religious variables, demogra- phics and nation/city Religiosity, cohort 1970+, China, SK Importance, both cohorts, education, HK, SK, Taiwan Beliefs, importance, religiosity, cohort 1970+, education, Chinese cities, SGP, SK, Taiwan Importance, religiosity, both cohorts, and China and SK Religiosity, both cohorts, education R2,34,23,65,40 Step 4: add traditional values Idem and fame son Idem (ex HK) and preservation, harmony Idem and gender roles Idem R2,35 (ns),24 (ns),66 (ns),65 (ns),40 (ns)

Religion and Traditional Values in East Asia Exploring Five Comparative Values Surveys in East Asia Table 5: Church attendance (still religion and culture) Exp(B)ABAnBEAVSWVSISSP Step 3: religious variables, demogra- phics and nation/city Importance, religiosity, cohort 1970+, China, SK Importance, both cohorts, education, HK, SK, Taiwan -Importance, religiosity, cohort 1970+, and China and SK Importance, religiosity, both cohorts R2,34,20-,56,33 Step 4: add traditional values IdemIdem and preservation -Idem and gender roles Idem R2,35 (ns),21-,56 (ns),40

East Asian Values Surveys Making a case for East Asian-origin values survey concepts Denomination Matter of religion (esp. religiosity); culture of origin info important if we know little on religious variable Church attendance Both religion and culture of origin important (latter took over position if weak religious info) Invitation as the conclusions are preliminary Join a series of seminars that brings together (young) East Asian scholars suggesting, testing, and debating the best measurement instruments (per domain) Why For benefit of East Asian and global academia (comparability, what is universal/particular, explanatory power values) and East Asian publics (unaddressed concerns, responsiveness of policies) (Preliminary) conclusions