Surveying (Online) the Religious and Non-Religious

Dr. Tristram Hooley International Centre for Guidance Studies

Professor Paul Weller Centre for Society, Religion and Belief

University of Derby

Is this cyberspace?

Binary oppositions?
Online research Cyberspace Virtual reality E-learning E-religion Onsite research Place Reality Learning Religion

Blended living

Issues with Online Media

Are online research methods only useful for investigating online phenomena?

Possible advantages of online surveys?

Can mitigate distance and allow for the internationalising of research Access to research populations Speed and volume of data collection Decrease personal risk Savings in costs Flexible design Data accuracy Anonymity

But.possible disadvantages?
Issues of digital access and digital literacy Circumstances in which the survey is completed are beyond researchers control Issues of identity verification High drop off rates Sample bias Measurement error (Sax et al, 2003) Non-response bias Technical problems

Research Council funded update of Home Office project from a decade ago:

includes organisation survey

originally paper survey only small groups all on-line now? used paper and electronic

Open invite electronic survey for Equality Challenge Unit

media literate population

only on-line survey lots of pre-coded responses other responses coding need

Consultancy project for Belieforama Policy Brief

international population
only on-line in multiple languages

Key issues
Sampling and recruitment Framing questions Classification, definition and self-definition

Sampling and recruitment issues

Recruitment Sampling Identity verification Incentives Response rates

Who are you surveying?

The online population? The population? The online religious population? The religious population? The adherents of a particular religion and belief position who are active online? The adherent of a particular position who actively articulate that position online? The role of gatekeepers Relating to imperfect information about the general population Stratifying the sample

Framing questions
How open should questions be? Managing the breadth of religion and belief
Avoiding assumptions of mono-theism Providing space for the non-religious Providing space for the spiritual Recognising fuzzy fidelity

R & B as personal vs. political/social Handling believing without belonging and belonging without believing

Example
How do you observe your religion or belief? Is it possible to have tick all that apply? What if respondents dont recognise the category of observance?

Classification, definition and self-definition

Open or closed Whose list to use? Managing the exceptions/self-definitions Managing the boundaries between religion, ethnicity and culture Making judgments using an intercoder agreement approach

More on Online Research

What is online research? http://www.bloomsburyacademic.com/ view/What-Is-Online-Research/bookba-9781849665544.xml Paper on Researching the nonreligious in Social Identities between the sacred and secular http://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9781409 456773 Slides from this presentation at http://adventuresincareerdevelopment .posterous.com/ My online surveys bibliography at http://www.citeulike.org/user/pigironjo e/tag/online_surveys

The Three Referred to Religion and Belief Projects with Online Aspects
Religious Discrimination in England and Wales: Theory, Policy and Practice (2000-2010) Research Project http://www.derby.ac.uk/religion-and-society
Religion and Belief in Higher Education: The Experiences of Staff and Students http://www.derby.ac.uk/ehs/research/religion-and-beliefin-HE Learning from Experience, Leading to Engagement: Belieforama Policy Brief Research for European Institutions and Civil Societies http://www.belieforama.eu