engleski

Personal values of Internet users: a cluster analytic approach

Values are an important academic topic that received significant scholarly attention from various academic disciplines. They are multifaceted constructs that guide thought and action of individuals. In literature, values are employed to explain and characterize individuals, groups, and societies, as well as to explain and characterize motivational bases behind various attitudes and behavior. Although there are different theoretical and methodological approaches to values, the theoretical framework used for individual values research is Schwartz’s value theory (Schwartz, 1992 ; Schwartz, 2012), with corresponding methodological approach of Schwartz’s Value Survey. Schwartz’s value theory defines 10 basic, distinct values: Power, Achievement, Hedonism, Stimulation, Self-Direction, Universalism, Benevolence, Tradition, Conformity, and Security. In order to better understand the motivational background of attitudes and behavior of Internet users we have explored the structure of their personal values. We have conducted a large telephone survey in the Republicof Croatia in 2016 on a nationally representative sample of more than 2, 000 Internet users. Values were measured with the Short Schwartz’s Value Survey instrument (Lindeman and Verkasalo, 2005). Internet users are grouped in different value-related groups with K-means cluster analysis. Furthermore, differences among those value-related groups of Internet users are examined with regard to their levels of social trust, computer anxiety, need for privacy online, online privacy concern and demographics. We have found three mutually exclusive groups of Internet users, namely: Power-oriented group, Self-centered group and Self-transcendent group. Significant differences were found among those groups regarding to analyzed variables. Social trust measured as trust in institutions and trust in strangers showed to be a distinctive variable between three clusters. Groups differ as well in expressed computer anxiety and need for privacy online. As expected, demographic characteristics in terms of gender, age, education, income, and occupation explain observed differences among three value-related groups of Internet users. The findings of this research provide better understanding of personal values among Internet users and their interrelationships with attitudes and demographics. The findings also provide an important prerequisite for better understanding of online behavior, since values represent motivational bases behind behavior. Theoretical implications of research findings are discussed in the paper, as well as lines of future research.

values ; trust ; online privacy ; Internet users ; Croatia

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