Do self-expression values affect global jazz popularity? An analysis of postmaterialism and political activity

Jazz music is known for its unique rhythms and spontaneous incorporation of improvisation, historically stemming from a need for self-expression. Jazz is an American art form and is not as popular globally. This study explores whether the spread of jazz around the world may be related to the self-expression values of a particular country. Postmaterialism is an ideology that values self-expression and quality of life over physical and economic stability. Jazz popularity was defined as the percentage of global jazz music that a country produces relative to all other countries. We hypothesized that countries with higher postmaterialist values would have higher jazz popularity and that countries with citizens with higher engagement with politics would also have higher jazz popularity. We conducted regression analyses on the Joint European Values Study and World Values Survey as well as data from the streaming services MusicBrainz and Last.Fm. We conducted analyses to correlate the popularity of jazz in 63 countries with the postmaterialism index and three variables representing political activity, as measured by level of interest in politics, importance of politics in life, and popularity of signing petitions. Overall, the results indicate a strong correlation between high postmaterialist values and jazz popularity in countries around the world. A correlation was also identified between the degree of active political activity and jazz popularity in a country. Jazz artists and fans may find it easier to promote this American art form in countries that exhibit a high degree of postmaterialism and political activity as a result.