In recent years, the tech industry has solidified its reputation as a driving force behind global innovation and economic growth. Yet, behind every revolutionary app, algorithm, or platform lies a workforce whose values and worldviews remain largely unexamined—until now. A pioneering study spearheaded by Gilad Be’ery and Dr. Dmitry Epstein at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem confronts this gap head-on, conducting the first comprehensive, data-driven analysis of the value systems of tech professionals across Europe. Through a rich dataset spanning nearly a decade from the European Social Survey and utilizing the rigorously developed Schwartz Theory of Basic Human Values, this research unpacks a nuanced portrait of tech workers’ beliefs, contesting long-held stereotypes of a monolithic “tech elite.”
The study reveals that tech developers—those who write code and shape the very architecture of digital tools—embody distinct value profiles sharply differentiated from both the broader public and other occupational elites such as managers and professionals. These developers demonstrate a pronounced inclination towards liberal ideals, signaling high openness to change, strong individualism, and a commitment to universalist principles. Importantly, they express a clear departure from conservative and traditionalist values, underscoring a worldview more aligned with progressivism and innovation than with preservation of the status quo.
This characterization is of more than academic interest. As Be’ery notes, developers do more than craft software; they architect the technological infrastructures that increasingly govern social dynamics, economic transactions, and even democratic processes. As such, their ethical frameworks and value orientations bear significant implications for how technology shapes society. Understanding these underlying belief systems is crucial for policymakers, ethicists, and industry leaders aiming to steward digital transformation responsibly.
Adding complexity to this picture, the study underscores the internal heterogeneity within the tech workforce itself. It shows that non-developer roles in tech—such as IT support, quality assurance specialists, and others— tend to hold value systems more closely aligned with traditional occupational elites like business managers and professionals. These workers are generally less open to change and more conservative compared to developers, highlighting a deeper cultural and ideological cleavage within the so-called tech class.
Dr. Epstein emphasizes the importance of overturning the stereotype that tech workers uniformly embody a single, cohesive social class with shared values. This nuanced understanding reveals how differing value systems within the same sector may influence everything from workplace dynamics to the ethical considerations prioritized during product development. For those engaged in technology policy and regulation, this insight signals that any one-size-fits-all approach to addressing “tech elite” influence risks oversimplification.
The research further points to demographic variables as an explanatory factor in these value distinctions. The tech sector skews heavily toward younger, highly educated, affluent males—demographics statistically associated with higher liberalism and openness to change—reinforcing the idea that social composition drives value orientations. This interconnection underscores why greater diversity not only matters for equity and opportunity but actively shapes the normative templates embedded within technological innovation.
Beyond demographics, the study situates the value systems of tech workers within a broader sociological and economic framework. Employing Schwartz’s Theory, which organizes human values into interconnected dimensions such as self-direction, conformity, achievement, and security, the authors map a rich landscape in which developers are clustered toward values promoting autonomy and universalism, while non-developers and traditional elites align more with conformity, security, and social order. This multidimensional analysis offers a valuable tool for future explorations into how these values influence organizational culture and technological outcomes.
Importantly, by mapping the contours of this internal diversity within the tech workforce, the study opens pathways for more informed debates about the ethical implications of digital technologies. Understanding that developer ethics differ substantially from those of other tech roles means that ethical frameworks and diversity policies cannot be uniformly applied across the sector. Instead, nuanced strategies should account for these differences to foster a more inclusive, balanced, and socially responsible tech ecosystem.
The findings also contribute to ongoing discussions about the political economy of technology. The identification of developers as a politically progressive subgroup within tech challenges narratives framing the tech industry as a uniformly neoliberal force. This recognition complicates the dialogue on tech regulation, highlighting the importance of engaging with a spectrum of values and interests present among tech workers themselves, rather than positioning the sector as an undifferentiated monolith.
As technology continues to permeate all facets of social life—from governance and healthcare to education and commerce—the ethical orientations of its creators gain critical prominence. This study provides empirical weight to calls for inclusion of diverse voices and value systems within the tech development process, advocating for interventions that can harness pluralism rather than imposing the priorities of a single dominant group.
Ultimately, by offering the first robust and expansive data-driven exploration of tech-worker values in Europe, this research charts a vital path forward. It invites scholars, practitioners, and the public to reconsider assumptions about tech elites, embrace the sector’s internal diversity, and prioritize ethical reflection as technology’s social footprint expands. This richer understanding lays a foundational step toward ensuring that the digital future engineers not only innovation and growth but equity, responsibility, and social good.
Subject of Research: People
Article Title: The high-tech elite? Assessing the values of tech-workers using the European Social Survey 2012–2020
News Publication Date: 30-Apr-2025
Web References: DOI: 10.1177/14614448251333343
Keywords: Business, Economics research, Finance, Behavioral economics, Social values
