“Generation Me”: An intra-nationally bounded generational explanation for convergence and divergence in personal vs. social focus cultural value orientations

Abstract

Responding to calls by international business scholars to examine contextual factors driving cultural change in developing and traditionally collectivistic countries, we examine cultural values shift in one such country, Turkey, from 1998 to 2019. Confirming study hypotheses, results evidenced a trajectory toward individualism. The percentage of respondents endorsing personal focus values in 2019 was over double that in 2009. Generational differences drove this shift – Late Millennials (born 1992–2001) in 2019 were over twice as likely to endorse personal over social focus values as same-age Early Millennials (born 1982–1991) in 2009. These trends were most pronounced in the most urbanized Turkish provinces.