Who is We : capturing Social Identity Content by Integrating Qualitative Methods in Survey-Based Approaches

Kurzfassung/Abstract

The concept of social identity presents a significant challenge when attempting to capture the multifaceted meanings associated with it. A pertinent example of this complexity can be observed in the investigation of the underlying significance of European identity. Past quantitative research on social identity has largely focused on the extent to which individuals identify with Europe, and only in a limited way on the meaning and content of that identity. This is problematic because depending on the content of European identity, it may be associated with varying positions toward issues like immigration or Euroscepticism. In this methodological article, we compare strengths and limitations of two existing yet under-utilized methods that can be used to assess social identity content and that can be implemented in survey research. These represent open-ended questions on what it means to be European and Q methodology, asking participants to sort different aspects of Europe according to whether they strengthen or weaken attachment. Different analytical methods exist to group participants’ answers, leading to different results. We compare these approaches by drawing on four studies (total N = 1,932; adolescents, young adults, and adult samples) from Germany.