Measuring postmaterialism

claim that the four-item index developed by Inglehart is invalid because re spondents' first and second choices are randomly related and that it fails to predict respondents' positions on theoretically relevant social issues. We maintain that they make unwarranted assumptions about how responses to i psative items should be related and demonstrate that the value indicators m -e powerful predictors. Clarke et al. argue that the trend toward postmater ialism does not result from long-term generational change but simply reflec ts declining inflation and rising unemployment over the past quarter-centur y. We show that period effects, particularly inflation, influence observed values. But after controlling for inflation, there is still a :substantial shift toward postmaterialism. Moreover, rising unemployment partly offsets the effect of falling inflation.