The International Study of Metanorms

The International Study of Metanorms

Metanorms are social norms about how to respond to norm violations. In the International Study of Metanorms, more than 100 researchers collaborated on collecting data on norms and metanorms in 57 societies from all corners of the world. Data were collected from April 2019 to January 2020. In the Primary Publication from this study (“Perceptions of the appropriate response to norm violation in 57 societies”), we find that metanorms vary in different ways for different responses. In those countries where use of physical confrontation and social ostracism is rated as less appropriate, gossip is rated as more appropriate.

Data from the International Study of Metanorms have also been used to examine how societies vary in their hygiene norms and their cultural tightness, as well as in measures of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. Links to publications and open datasets are provided.

Citation: Users of data, always cite the Primary Publication as well the publication directly linked to the dataset you use (if different to the Primary Publication).

Primary Publication with open data

  1. Eriksson, K., Strimling, P., Gelfand, M., Wu, J., Abernathy, J., Akotia, C. S., ... & Van Lange, P. A. (2021). Perceptions of the appropriate response to norm violation in 57 societies. Nature Communications, 12(1), 1-11.
    https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-21602-9

    [Preregistration: osf.io/qg6xy Data: osf.io/pm5kc]

Other core publications with open data

  1. Andersson, P.A., Vartanova, I., Västfjäll, D. et al (2024). Anger and disgust shape judgments of social sanctions across cultures, especially in high individual autonomy societies. Scientific Reports, 14, 5591. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-55815-x

  2. Pasin, G.L., Szekely, A., Eriksson, K. et al. (2024). Evidence from 43 countries that disease leaves cultures unchanged in the short-term. Scientific Reports, 14, 6502 . https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-33155-6

  3. Andrighetto, G., Szekely, A., Guido, A. et al. (2024). Changes in social norms during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic across 43 countries. Nature Communications, 15, 1436. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-44999-5

  4. Eriksson, K., Dickins, T. E., & Strimling, P. (2021). Hygiene Norms Across 56 Nations are Predicted by Self-Control Values and Disease Threat. Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology, 2, 100013.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cresp.2021.100013

    [Data: osf.io/bw5x6]

  5. Eriksson, K., Dickins, T. E., & Strimling, P. (2022). Global sex differences in hygiene norms and their relation to sex equality. PLOS Global Public Health, 2(6), e0000591.
    https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0000591
    [Data: osf.io/d4q38/]

  6. Gelfand, M. J., Jackson, J. C., Pan, X., Nau, D., Pieper, D., Denison, E., ... & Wang, M. (2021). The relationship between cultural tightness–looseness and COVID-19 cases and deaths: a global analysis. The Lancet Planetary Health, 5(3), e135-e144.
    [Data: osf.io/47pe8/]

  7. Gerlach, P., & Eriksson, K. (2021). Measuring cultural dimensions: External validity and internal consistency of Hofstede's VSM 2013 Scales. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 662604.  
    www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.662604

    [Data: osf.io/6tgnc]