In-Depth Glossary - Personal Values Report

What is the Personal Values Report? 

The Personal Values report explains the why behind people’s everyday decisions. We call this the human element, which is a holistic understanding of a person that starts with what makes us the most human - our values. This report gives you an understanding of which personal values are important – and not important - to the people who make up your target audience. This report identifies and explains 19 personal values in four quadrants in a circular structure of human values that has been validated cross-culturally and proven to be consistent with purchase outcomes.  

An important thing to understand about the circular structure of human values is that actions in pursuit of a given personal value have consequences that conflict with certain personal values, yet are congruent with other personal values. For example, pursuing achievement typically conflicts with pursuing equality and caring for others. But pursuing both achievement and wealth are usually compatible. Conflicting personal values tend to be on the opposite side of the circle, while congruent personal values tend to be closer to each other.  

If an audience over-indexes for achievement, the next neighboring personal values tend to over-index as well. Likewise, if an audience under-indexes for tradition, the next neighboring personal values tend to under-index as well.  

Cheat Sheet to Understanding Personal Values

Download our ppt cheat sheet to understanding Personal Values. Feel free to use this in presentations to clients as you're showing our Personal Values report.

How do I use the Personal Values Report? 

Use the insights in this report to inform everything – your go-to-market strategy, your customer segmentation or persona strategy, your creative and messaging strategy, etc. Focus on the personal values that your audience over-indexes on and consider these as themes for your outreach. For example, you may have an audience that over-indexes on “caring for family.” So, your messaging should include a family-focused theme. Also, pay attention to the personal values that are under-indexed by your audience. You’ll want to avoid those themes in your campaigns because they won’t resonate with your audience.  

How do I read the report? 

To understand the insights in this report, we rely on the Index as a metric.  

The Index  indicates how likely your audience is to possess a trait, or attribute, as compared to the baseline, with 100 representing average. *The baseline defaults to the U.S. Online Adult Population 

What makes up this report?

The Personal Value attributes in this report are derived from the following survey question: 

Please consider all of the decisions that you make in your life, which could include personal actions, products you buy, or decisions that you make in your day-to-day life. Below is a list of personal values that you may find important to express or achieve as you live your life. Please select any of the ones that are important to you when making decisions. Please select all that apply. 

There are four quadrants on the circular structure of human values, with the following personal values in each quadrant: 

1. Self-transcendence: Tolerance, Nature, Caring, Dependability, Equality, Humility 
2. Conservation: Conformity, Duty, Tradition, Security, Safety 
3. Self-enhancement: Reputation, Influence, Authority, Achievement 
4. Openness to Change: Pleasure, Stimulation, Independence, Creativity 

The Meaning of Each Quadrant 

• Self-transcendence: Audiences with personal values in this quadrant may, or may desire to, rise above their own interests and emphasize those of others. They may seek personal growth rather than self-protection and the avoidance of anxiety. They may have a social (others) focus rather than a personal (self) focus. 
• Conservation: Audiences with personal values in this quadrant may, or may desire to, emphasize social order and stability, together with safety. They may seek self-protection and the avoidance of anxiety rather than personal growth. They may have a social (others) focus rather than a personal (self) focus. 
• Self-enhancement: Audiences with personal values in this quadrant may, or may desire to, prioritize their own interests above those of others. They may seek self-protection and the avoidance of anxiety rather than personal growth. They may have a personal (self) focus rather than a social (others) focus. 
• Openness to Change: Audiences with personal values in this quadrant may be, or may desire to be, open to change and willing to consider novel experiences and fresh ideas. They may seek personal growth rather than self-protection and the avoidance of anxiety. They may have a personal (self) focus rather than a social (others) focus. 

The Meaning of Each Value 

Self-transcendence Quadrant Personal Values 

Tolerance: Acceptance and understanding of those who are different. Audiences with this value may, or may desire to, accept and understand individuals who are different from themselves. Life is about broadmindedness and accepting the beliefs and behaviors of others. 

• Tip: Consider using themes of acceptance, inclusion and diversity in your creative and messaging when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service may maintain or enhance their tolerance toward others and may contribute to promoting harmony among diverse groups.

Nature: Caring for nature. Audiences with this value may, or may desire to, emphasize the preservation of the natural environment. Life is about protecting the environment. 

• Tip: Consider using themes of unity with nature, safekeeping and conservation in your creative and messaging when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service may maintain or enhance their concern for the environment and the beauty of nature.  

Caring: Helping and caring for the well-being of family and friends. Audiences with this value may be, or may desire to be, devoted to the welfare of family and friends. Life is about helping people who are dear to them. 

• Tip: Consider using themes of caring, nurturing, acting in a genuine and honest manner and protection in your creative and messaging when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service may maintain or enhance their helpfulness towards family and friends.  

Dependability: Being a reliable and trustworthy family member and friend. Audiences with this value may, or may desire to, emphasize the importance of being dependable, responsible, and faithful to family and friends. Life is about being a reliable and trustworthy friend.  

• Tip: Consider using themes of dependability, trust, and honesty in your creative and messaging when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service may maintain or enhance their ability to be a reliable and dependable friend. 

Equality: Treating every person in the world equally. Audiences with this value may, or may desire to, emphasize the equality and protection of all people. Life is about social justice.  

• Tip: Consider using themes of equality, fairness, and tolerance in your creative and messaging when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service may maintain or enhance their concern for social justice by highlighting, for example, how the company or brand engages in socially responsible activities, such as philanthropy and social activism.  

Humility: Being humble. Audiences with this value may, or may desire to, keep their own accomplishments and importance in perspective, may avoid drawing attention to themselves and may emphasize the welfare of others. They may also be more likely to be modest, grateful, and generous.  

• Tip: Consider using themes of humility, modesty, and respect in your creative and messaging when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service may maintain or enhance their humility by, for example, delivering features and benefits that are subtle and understated.  

Conservation Quadrant Personal Values 

Conformity: Avoiding upsetting or harming other people. Audiences with this value may, or may desire to, emphasize politeness and tactfulness, and may seek to avoid upsetting or harming others. For these individuals, life is about courteousness and civility. 

• Tip: Consider using themes of harmony, compromise, respect towards others, honoring parents and understanding in your creative and messaging when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service may assist a consumer in maintaining or enhancing courteousness and minimizing irritating people.  

Duty: Fulfilling obligations, and obeying rules and laws. Audiences with this value may, or may desire to, emphasize adherence to obligations, rules, and laws. They may also be more self-disciplined, obedient, organized, and dependable.  

• Tip: Consider using themes of being proper, lawful, accountable and decent and the importance of complying with rules and the seriousness of fulfilling obligations in your creative and messaging when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service may maintain and enhance an internal sense of duty, with overtones of dependability, obedience, honesty, and faithfulness.  

Tradition: Maintaining and preserving cultural, family, or religious traditions. Audiences with this value may, or may desire to, emphasize the preservation of traditions and customs, including those within family, culture, and religion. They may be inclined to do things in a way that maintains continuity with the way they have always been done and may be more altruistic and sympathetic. 

• Tip: Consider using themes of family, religion, appreciation for culture, and traditional practices and beliefs in your creative and messaging when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service may maintain or enhance a connection to traditions.  

Security: Safety in one's community and nation. Audiences with this value may, or may desire to, emphasize the stability of society, including national security and social order. Life is about a strong state and a stable society. 

• Tip: Consider using themes of national safety, defense, freedom, preservation, social order and stability in your creative and messaging when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service may maintain or enhance communal or national security. Communicate strength as a means of protection against enemies and threats and consider using references to the military, veterans, police, firefighters, and national or community pride.  

Safety: Safety in one's self and family. Audiences with this value may, or may desire to, emphasize the preservation of their own safety, seeking secure surroundings and avoiding circumstances that might be unsafe. They may also be more likely to seek harmony and stability and avoid conflict and change. Life is about personal safety. 

• Tip: Consider using themes of personal safety, awareness, assurance, shelter and protection from harm in your creative and messaging when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service may maintain or enhance safety.  

Self-enhancement Quadrant Personal Values 

Reputation: Maintaining a good public image. Audiences with this value may, or may desire to, place more emphasis on preserving their public image, and avoid embarrassment and dishonor. For these individuals, life is about social respect. 

• Tip: Consider using themes of strong values and being a good citizen in your creative and messaging, when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service may achieve more social respect and may avoid shame or humiliation. Communicate respect, honor, and dignity. 

Influence: Acquiring wealth and influence. Audiences with this value may be, or may desire to be, more likely to accumulate wealth, together with the status and power that comes from money and material possessions. They may also be more outgoing, self-disciplined, and organized; and less softhearted. Life is about money and social status. 

• Tip: Consider using themes of prestige, importance, prosperity and power attained by accumulating wealth in your creative and messaging, when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service may assist in achieving a higher social status in an assertive and confident tone. 

Authority: Being in charge and directing people. Audiences with this value may be, or may desire to be, more likely to exercise control, be authoritative, and be seen as influential. They may be more likely to be decisive and direct, to take risks to gain rewards, to have high self-confidence, and to be motivated by solving challenging problems. Life is about social power and being in control. 

• Tip: Consider using themes of being assertive, commanding, and confident in your creative and messaging when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service may assist in becoming more socially powerful and influential, and more “in control” of a situation. Communicate with messaging that is succinct and avoids the minutiae, and that accentuates the results as opposed to the process. 

Achievement: Having the opportunity to show one's abilities, and to be admired for what one does. Audiences with this value may, or may desire to, seek success and the admiration of others for being successful. Ambitiousness and determination may be distinguishing attributes. Life is about getting ahead and “winning,” and impressing others. 

• Tip: Consider using themes of being admired, appreciated, successful, ambitious and acknowledged in your creative and messaging when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service may assist in becoming more successful or securing admiration; and how the product or service itself meets high standards.  

Openness to Change Quadrant Personal Values 

Pleasure: Enjoying life's pleasures. Audiences with this value may, or may desire to, seek pleasure and avoid pain, and place an emphasis on achieving sensuous gratification. “Fun” and “good times” may be guideposts for decision-making. Life is about experiencing pleasure. 

• Tip: Consider using themes of amusement, indulgence, fun and happiness in your creative and messaging when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service provides pleasure directly; or indirectly, for example, by receiving a reward, such as a discount or loyalty program points, when purchased.  

Stimulation: Having a life full of excitement, novelties, and challenges. Audiences with this value may, or may desire to, seek new and thrilling experiences, and be more likely to take risks to achieve those experiences. They may have an inclination toward unconventional or unusual activities or sports, together with low patience for uninteresting or tedious tasks. Life is an adventure consisting of novel, stimulating, and surprising challenges and experiences. 

• Tip: Consider using themes of adventure, inventiveness, excitement and variety in life in your creative and messaging when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service is new or novel, and how it engenders a sense of excitement when used or experienced.  

Independence: The freedom to determine one's own actions. Audiences with this value may be, or may desire to be, more self-directed with a preference to choose their own goals and do what is personally important to them. They may be more self-reliant, seeking solutions to problems themselves rather than depending on others. They may be more self-deterministic, viewing themselves as “in charge” of their circumstances. They may exhibit more self-discipline and be more hardworking than most. Life is a sequence of events that is primarily under their own control. 

• Tip: Consider using themes of choice, decision-making, and opportunity in your creative and messaging when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service will help them be more independent, self-directed and self-reliant, and how it provides the freedom to live life on their own terms. 

Creativity: The freedom to think up new ideas, be creative, and develop new skills. Audiences with this value may be, or may desire to be, more creative, adaptive, and imaginative. They may also be more individualistic and have more energy. Life is an exploration and learning about new ideas and being imaginative is important. 

• Tip: Consider using themes of innovation, originality, and cleverness in your creative and messaging when an audience over-indexes for this personal value. Emphasize how a product or service will help them be more creative, enhance their learning, satisfy their curiosity and enable them to personally grow as an individual.  

How are these values consistent with purchase outcomes?