Abstract

The assumption of comparability underlies any comparative study of the social and political sciences. However, this assumption cannot be taken for granted. Especially in quantitative research in the field of values and attitudes, multiple sources of bias, both cultural and methodological ones, can undermine this assumption leading to the development of conclusions and generalizations based on misleading results. The paper describes these challenges from a methodological perspective and presents the main techniques for assessing measurement invariance (also called measurement equivalence) using as an empirical example the concept of interindividual solidarity as operationalized in the latest European Values Study (EVS) survey. The measurement model presents a three-dimensional structure: social, local and global solidarity. Based on data from the 21 EU countries included in the most recent wave of EVS (2017-2020), the results show lack of invariance and that the main source of bias lies in the “global solidarityµ dimension. The essay concludes with some practical insights and directions for future research.