‘Honesty’ is Top Personal Value Among Americans.

‘Americans now rate “Honesty” as their top personal value, surpassing “Protecting the Family,” according to GfK NOP’s 2005 Roper Reports Worldwide® Study. The study found that 79% of Americans say honesty is an extremely/very important value to them, a 10% increase since 2000.

“Protecting the Family,” which has held the top spot for Americans since the study’s 1999 inception, has dropped to second place at 75%, tying with “Freedom.” Interestingly, Brazil is the only other country that also ranked “Honesty” as the top value.

“An interesting shift is occurring, with Americans choosing honesty as their number one value for the first time,” according to Paul Leinberger, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of GfK NOP. “With the recent noise and intense media coverage around corporate and government scandals, the desire for honesty has gained prominence among Americans.”

While most countries surveyed continue to rank “Protecting the Family” as the top value, several (Russia, Spain, China, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the Czech Republic) rank “Health and Fitness” as their most important value. “Faith” is the number one value for individuals in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Indonesia, while “Knowledge” ranks number one for the citizens of India. “Self-Esteem” is the most important value for individuals in Venezuela.

“Personal values play a key role in purchasing power, and marketers need to be aware of both the global and local priorities of consumers,” added Leinberger.