THE HIGH-TECH ELITE? ASSESSING VALUE PRIORITIES OF TECHIES USING THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL SURVEY 2012-2020

Abstract

Using data from the European Value Survey 2012-2020 and Schwartz’s theory of basic values, this paper aims to map the value priorities of people working in tech compared to the general population, understand to what extent those value priorities differ from value priorities of other occupational elites, and how they vary among techies, focusing particularly on developers as a sub-group. Our preliminary findings suggest that compared to the general population, techies tend to prioritize openness to change and to value self enhancement. We also demonstrate that when viewed as a single group, the overall makeup of values of the techies is similar to that of other occupational elites. Yet, the dynamics between individual values among the techies differ from those of other occupational elites and when we separate Developers from other ICT specialists, the Developers appear more extreme in their tendency to negatively value conservation and positively value self-enhancement. Our preliminary results offer potential takeaways for research, policy, and education.