Introduction

The introduction presents the idea and aims of this volume. The triad ‘Values – Politics – Religion’ forms the thematic framework within which results of the European Values Study based on the data of 1990, 1999, 2008, and 2017 are presented. The findings are embedded in an interdisciplinary discussion on the results, concepts, and challenges of this long-term study with a focus on the impact of religion on political values and attitudes. Against the background of the ‘crisis permanence’ since at least 2020, the editors argue the timeliness and relevance of this volume, as it offers fundamental empirical insights and theories as a starting point to further develop the expected value transformation in the years to come. Afterwards, the authors introduce the European Values Study, clarify the contested guiding concepts ‘Values – Politics – Religion’, and present the idea, character, outline, and structure of the volume. Furthermore, the research process, aims, and target groups of the volume are described. A summary of the individual contributions offers an overview of their main contents. The volume is intended as an explorative pilot study that aims at stimulating the further development of interdisciplinary values research and contributing to an in-depth, qualified discourse on values – in particular on the relationship between political and religious values – in society, politics, and religious communities.