value system, life strategies, youth

Values and their hierarchical system represent the basis of the society. Social values can be defined as a set of material or spiritual properties, principles and ideals generally desired in any society, and therefore perceived as correct, suitable, and acceptable. An individual obtains his/her own set of values through the socialization process shaped by the system and historical background of the given society. Such social systems of values are neither identical nor static; they are dynamic and can vary among different social groups. Based on the concept of R. Inglehardt and its modification made by H. Klages we looked at present-day value systems of students in the Visegrad Four countries. The questions concerned items that are important in their lives as well as attitudes that characterize their approach to tasks in both professional and private life.Another part of the questionnaire covers the attitudes of the young generation. Attitudes enable a person to adapt to the environment that surrounds them and reach their goals or behave in such a way as to adhere to the recognized values. Attitudes thus express an individual?s assessment of different social objects present in their environment In our research, we distinguish three different life strategies: a liberal, bold and passive strategy. The analyses of the results are based on a comparison of the V4 countries.