Abstract
The methodology of the international comparison of belief systems is discussed mainly in terms of the experience of the statistical study of the Japanese national character in the past 35 years (Committee on the Study of Japanese National Character at the Institute of Mathematical Statistics) and the results of a recent cross-societal study. The basic goal of the international comparison of belief systems is to clarify the similarities and the differences of these belief systems. Our study is centered upon achieving this goal using statistical methods. We stress the importance of the philosophy of the scientific survey, design of data, and analysis of data. We propose a “cultural link analysis” (CLA), which links different belief systems by their similarities and dissimilarities in the form of a chain. The motivations behind CLA and the experience of our international studies which are based on CLA is also considered.
