I\'m trying to get the selected value from a drop down list via jQuery. I have a bit of javascript that validates a form when I click SEND, to make sure there are no blanks,
val() returns the value of the element, i.e. the value attribute of the selected element.
value
Since you actually want the inner text of the selected element, you should match that element and use text() instead:
var nationality = $("#dancerCountry option:selected").text();