Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, UK

Explaining the Q-method

Methodology• Q-method is “a systematic and rigorously

quantitative means to examine human subjectivity”.

• Focus: anything that is difficult to quantify;

• Concern: not with how many people believe such-and-such, but why and how they believe what they do;

• Q-method allows to correlate people with their views to reveal the multiple points of view.

Procedure:1. Define research objectives:

• Reveal and assess subjective structures, attitudes and perspectives from the standpoint of the person (s) being observed;

• Provide sharper insight into respondents’ preferences, identify criteria that are important and explain factors influencing attitudinal diversity;

• Outline areas of consensus and conflict. Specify, select and evaluate policy options.

2. Generate statements: • Naturalistic; ready-made or hybrid samples;

• Structured or unstructured by design.

3. Q-sorting:

• Obtain responses to a statement from strongly agree to strongly disagree;

• Rank order the responses, placing the statements in the normal distribution chart.

• Approach: survey or focus group

4. Quantitative analysis: correlation &

PCA with computation of scores. Each Q sort is correlated with every other Q sort, and the inter correlation matrix is PC analysed.

Q-analysis allows to extract a few typical sorts, capturing the common essence of the several individual Q sorts

5. Interpretation of the typical Q sorts:

Give the social discourses uncovered by the

statistical analysis

Some statements

1. Native woodlands are an important part of our natural heritage and should be preserved whatever the cost.

2. Slower growing native trees should not be replaced with foreign, even if they grow faster and are more profitable.

3. Any new planting would have to be in tune with the character of the landscape.

4. We should be more self-sufficient in timber and plant fast growing trees, making sure that our forests produce as much wood as possible.

5. I don’t mind what type of trees gets planted or where trees get planted, as long as it doesn’t cost the taxpayer money.

6. Planting trees to create jobs is more important than protecting things like wildlife and nature.

Normal Distribution of the Q-sort-3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

Gender: M_____; F____Age: under 30______; 30-40_____; 40-50______; over 50_____ Education: School___; College____; University____; PhD____Occupation: ___________________________Annual income: below £15000 ___; £15000-£35000___; 35000 or higher ____Partnership status: ______________ Number of children: __________

Disagree Agree

Appendix: Factors that set Q method apart from R methodology:

- R-analysis (standard survey analysis) is concerned with patterns across

objective variables (gender, age, income, etc) and yields statistically

generalisable results. Q-analysis deals with patterns of subjective

perspectives across individuals and results in typologies of perspectives

that prevail in a given situation.

- With R-method, correlation summarizes the relationships among the

traits and then factor analysis denotes the clusters of traits. Q-method

allows individual responses to be collated and correlated. With Q-method,

correlation summarises the views among people. Resulting factors

represent points of view.

- Q-method employs small number of respondents, because most of the

data derives not from the number of participants, but from how much

information is implicit in each participant’s Q sort.