Hellevik's sociological classifications. Towards egalitarianism, or is it at all possible?

As most four-fold tables in sociology, these categories are ideal types, pedagogical caricatures. But Hellevik shows from his rich data material that a surprisingly large part of the Norwegian population fits into one of the four categories without too much friction. I am not a strong believer in data, as we don’t know who exactly was questioned and how answers fit with reality, but there is some sense in this. Don’t you recognize some of your friends/acquaintances that could fit into one or another category?

On the basis of several answers in the surveys, undertaken by the sociologist Ottar Hellevik, he divides the Norwegian population into four categories, which in the 1980s were roughly of the same size. We have the modern materialists. They are oriented towards short-time consumption, they are enthusiastic about new technology (always first with the new cell phone), they have little sense of tradition, and they put their own welfare and interests first. Secondly, we have the modern idealists, representing equality between the sexes, anti-authoritarianism, caring, tolerance and individual self-realization. Then there are the traditional materialists, focusing upon material security and economic growth, but much more culturally conventional and traditional than the modern materialists. Hellevik’s last category is the traditional idealists, committed to patriotism and traditional values, often including respect for the Christian heritage.