Methods

RELEX engages in completely new types of exploratory research on the interplay between religion, values, and social exclusion in light of several notable cases across four wider cultural and national contexts. RELEX also simultaneously engages in experimental research in that we will develop and apply a new mixed-methods framework that is specifically designed for research among vulnerable and socially excluded populations and that is able to generate a rich and unique body of data that is unattainable by any other means. 

The interplay between religion and social exclusion remains poorly understood since it often involves researching vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations. This presents a range of significant methodological challenges. We develop methodological instruments that can be successfully and reliably applied across challenging research contexts. 

The new mixed-methods framework consists of three mutually supporting research instruments. Although the instruments contain quantitative elements that partly employ quantitative procedures of analysis for the purposes of identifying broader patterns and connections, the framework as a whole is qualitative. The instruments consist of 1) a short, targeted survey; 2) the Portrait Values Questionnaire or PVQ; and 3) the Faith Q-Sort instrument or FQS. 

The survey consists of adapted versions of select item blocks derived from the Bristol Social Exclusion Matrix (B-SEM). These are complemented with adapted versions of a select set of items on levels of trust and religious self-identification previously included in the European Social Survey and World Values Survey. The main purpose of the survey is to a) provide valuable background information on participants’ views on religion and degrees of experienced social exclusion, and b) provide a point of comparison to already existing worldwide Bristol Social Exclusion Matrix (B-SEM), the European Social Survey (ESS), and World Values Survey (WWS) data. 

The Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ) included in the survey is a widely internationally validated instrument for assessing basic value types. The instrument includes short descriptions of different individuals that participants are asked to rate their own similarity to. To enhance accessibility, we have in cooperation with Prof. Schwartz identified a 10-item shortened version of the PVQ. This short version is also more suitable to enhance the intelligibility and wider applicability of the instrument through audiovisual aids. Analyses of PVQ responses enable us to compare participants’ value-orientations- and priorities at both individual and group levels as well as how these relate to their religious outlooks as also measured by the survey and especially the FQS. 

The Faith Q-Sort (FQS) is based on Q-methodology and lies at the center of the framework. It is employed last among a smaller number of participants who have already taken part in the survey and PVQ. The FQS is a qualitative research instrument that utilizes the analytic procedures of quantitative analysis. Prof. David Wulff designed FQS for the study of people’s viewpoints and attitudes towards a variety of religion-, non-religion-, and worldview-related questions and issues. Since the current version of the instrument puts unnecessarily high demands on levels of literacy and language proficiency among participants, we developed a new and more accessible version that employs an easily understandable language and is also accompanied by audiovisual aids.  

When the instrument is applied in practice, participants are presented with a set of statements on a variety of religion-related issues and are asked to rank-order (or “sort”) them according to how well the statements reflect their own views. The statements include viewpoints on religion as a social and cultural phenomenon more generally; involvement with religious communities; religious practices; religious teachings, beliefs, and doctrines; religious experience, and other types of worldview-related questions. When conducting the sorting, participants consider all statements at once in direct relation to one another face to face with the researcher. This allows for a natural on-going discussion that provides valuable information about how individual participants interpret and personally relate to the statements, both individually and vis-à-vis one another. The sorting is followed by a brief interview that provides additional knowledge on participants’ thoughts of the sorting process.  

Whereas each individual completed FQS sorting is essentially unique, shared patterns of sortings are revealed among particular groups of participants (i.e., the participants of each case in each country). These patterns can be described as “socially shared viewpoints” on the range of religion-, non-religion-, and worldview-related issues. Every shared viewpoint is given a qualitative interpretation that outlines its main characteristics and situates it in its own particular socio-cultural and religious context. Results provide identifications of significant similarities, differences, and broader resemblances in outlooks across all participants groups across all countries, and in the particular context of each country.