This is a review of research done by Paul Ray & Sherry Ruth Anderson. It describes three primary worldviews present in the US population that are based on values. There research is written up in The Cultural Creative, Harmony Books, 2000; The Integral Cultural Survey: A Study of the Emergence of Transformational Values in America by Paul Ray, the Institute of Nortic Sciences, 1996; and in American Demographics - "The Emerging Culture" by Paul H. Ray, February 1997.

What the research discovered was the existence of three primary worldviews. The researchers titled them:

• Moderns
• Traditionals
• Cultural Creatives

Moderns – A group with values related to economic and technological progress and the range of choice that such progress brings; they accept the commercialized world as an acceptable and even essential way to live; tend to value achievement and financial success, having a wide range of choices, and being in touch with trends and innovations in society.

Traditionals – A grouping that values more traditional standards for relationships in the family, church, community and workplace; and are generally more socially conservative than the rest of the population, e.g., favoring the freedom to carry guns, more restrictions on immigration, male leadership and responsibility in the family and other institutions, social controls on various forms of sexual behavior (teen and extramarital sex, abortion, pornography, abortion).

Cultural Creatives – A group with high environmental, feminist and community oriented values; tend to be more idealistic, more focused on relationships and self-actualization; more inclined to volunteer time, be seeking a simpler life style, be open to the idea of religious mysteries.

All the groups overlap on all values. Ray and Anderson are describing tendencies in the population.

All three groups appear to share certain values, e.g., rebuilding communities and neighborhoods, liking to visit foreign places, seeing something of the sacred in nature, "green" values, etc. The Cultural Creatives tend to hold these values more strongly than the other groups. There are likely to be differences when each group describes how it would go about acting on these values.

Moderns – increasing as a percentage of the population

Traditionals – decreasing; Ray & Anderson estimate that in the mid 1940’s they would have been 50% of the population

Cultural Creatives - increasing

The Moderns are the dominate subculture shaping our social norms, in charge of most institutions, reflected in the primary media outlets, and establishing the framework for dialogue and debate in the culture. Much of the public debate is carried on between Moderns and Traditionals. Cultural Creatives have little awareness of being an identifiable subgroup and those who are in that group tend to think there are fewer people sharing their values than is the case.

Because of the overlapping system of values there are alliances that may develop between two of the groups. For example:

• Traditionals & Cultural Creatives may come together in an organization to create or maintain relationships and simpler forms of existing vs. the Moderns desire to focus on organizational success; or they might work together in political reform efforts
• Moderns & Cultural Creatives might join together around improving the position of women in the workplace or in resisting someone initiative from "the religious right."
• Moderns & Traditionals might join efforts in protecting property rights or financial status
• Because we are all strongly influenced by the predominate culture, which is shaped largely by the Moderns values and interests, all the groups will at times function in ways that reflect that primary culture. So, we may all find ourselves setting goals and measuring outcomes, or being caught up in our desire for new things, etc. However, Traditionals and Cultural Creatives will also pull away from the values and related behaviors.

Moderns – 54% men, 46% women; median age 39; 27% college grads +; may idealize the present modern approach to life

Traditionals – 46% men, 53% women; median age 53; 14% college grads +; may idealize a time in the American past

Cultural Creatives – 40% men, 60% women; median age 42; 30% college grads +; may idealize an image of a "better world"

Politics – Around 1/3 of all three groups identify themselves as Democrats; Moderns & Cultural Creatives each have about 27% independents; Traditionals have fewer independents and more Republicans. When looked at in terms of "left-right-center" around 45 – 49 % of all three groups identify themselves as being in the center; the second largest identification for all three groups was "right" with Traditionals having the most and Cultural Creatives the least.

Moderns

Traditionals

• Tends to be more socially conservative than other groups; but includes New Dealers, labor union people, Reagan Democrats; includes two subgroups, one that is more politically and economically conservative often with an idealized view of a past America; much of the membership of what has been called "the religious right" comes from this group; the second and larger of the subcultures is less ideological, valuing a more traditional world, seeing the modern world as one that has damaged morals, stability of life, and the environment
• May be more inclined to seeing things as "right" or "wrong" than other groups
• Social class effects their approach – those from the middle class may be more inclined to be pro big-business; those of a lower income are more likely to be anti-big-business and sympathetic to green values.
• May hold strong family values, be inclined to trade off civil liberties for other values, be religiously conservative

Cultural Creatives