Thread by @CommonCauseFdn

Values are really important. They are the standards that guide and inform our opinions, decisions and behaviours. (1/16)

In this video, long time friends and collaborators of @CommonCauseFdn, researchers Professor Greg Maio and Dr Paul Hanel, explore how people understand their own values and the values of others… (2/16)

… and how, typically, people significantly underestimate how much of their values are shared by others, leading to people feeling that there is a big gulf between them and other groups of people. (3/16)

You can find out more about how your values compare with the values of other people by taking part in this online values quiz essex.ac.uk/research-proje… (4/16)

But it’s not *just* that we are likely to share values with other people in society; it’s that we tend particularly to underestimate the importance that others place on values that are crucial in motivating social and environmental concern. (5/16)

Common Cause's research, upon which Greg and Paul have drawn, has found that 74% of the UK population prioritises values that we refer to as ‘intrinsic’ - values such as community, equality and protecting the environment. (6/16)

However, 77% of people underestimate the importance their fellow citizens place on these values, assuming them to be more motivated by self-interest than is actually the case. (7/16)

What does this misunderstanding mean for social and environmental change? (8/16)

Well, when someone believes that others prioritise values such as wealth, social power or influence, over that of caring for others & the natural world, they are less likely to support social & environmental change & are more likely to feel isolated from those around them. (9/16)

Why is it that so many people believe that others hold more self-interested values to be important and more compassionate values to be less important than is actually the case? (10/16)

One explanation could be that people are repeatedly led by institutions like the media, politicians, advertising & even schools, to believe that other people are out for themselves. (11/16)

Often we are left with the impression that others only care about buying more stuff, making more money & gaining more power. (12/16)

People and organisations that care about social and environmental justice can play an important role in helping to change this narrative, by consistently reinforcing the message that the majority of us care very much about one another and the world we call home. (13/16)

We should make sure that we design projects, campaign for policies & create environments that have at their core a belief that the majority of people are motivated by equality, justice & protecting environment (although they may disagree on how these things are achieved!) (14/16)

By doing this we can help to create the cultural conditions necessary for increased public demand for social and environmental transformation. (15/16)

For more information on this, please check out this report on the CCF website commoncausefoundation.org/_resources/per… (16/16)