After a survey of the literature on the concept and measurement of values, a series of depth interviews held in England by GALLUP UK, group discussions conducted by the Institut für Demoskopie in Allensbach (Germany) and a review of survey archive material by IFOP/Faits et Opinions (Paris), the technical group produced the 1981-questionnaire. A preliminary version of the questionnaire was tested in a pilot survey using quota samples of 200 respondents in France, Great Britain, West Germany and Spain. The final 1981-questionnaire was produced in English, which was translated in the national languages.

Nationally representative samples were selected for the fieldwork that was conducted in March-May 1981. The target number of interviews in each country was set at 1000, with an additional booster quota sample of 200 young adults aged 18-24. National data sets were weighted to adjust for age distribution.

Fieldwork was conducted by interviewing agencies in each country, coordinated by Gallup in London. The survey rendered success, since in subsequent years (large parts of) the survey has been replicated in a large number of countries. These countries include: Argentina, Australia, Chile, Canada, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Malta, Mexico, Norway, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, US, and parts of the Soviet Union.