ESRA 2025 Preliminary Program
All time references are in CEST
Survey research on democracy and solidarity |
| Session Organiser |
Dr Daniel Seddig (KFN)
|
| Time | Tuesday 15 July, 15:30 - 17:00 |
| Room |
Ruppert 119 |
-
Papers
Values and Social Attitudes connections: exploring relations with the Policy Change Process
Mr Filipe Quaresma Pimentel (Lisbon University) - Presenting Author
What are the relations between values and social attitudes concerning public support to social policies? Do these relations count for the policy change process? Leaning over the portuguese case and its lasting minimum income scheme - the Social Insertion Income that has preserved its fundamental activation policy character, despite the government’s cycles and their distinct agendas - this study assesses the behavior of values and opinions related to the support of social policies and investigates its suitability to what would be considered a favorable ethos for the intervention`s longevity. Over almost three decades, the program remained essentially unchanged as a small, targeted and temporary provision for those individuals and families situated below the poverty line, conditioned by contractual obligations. Is this stability also verifiable in values and social attitudes indicators related to the program support? How compatible is the activation strategy with the value’s framework of Portuguese society? Using data from the Human Values series, and the Welfare Attitudes and Understanding of Democracy rounds of the European Social Survey, this article explores the potential correlations of the chosen variables to broaden the understanding of the dynamics between values and social opinions, using the Perceptual Maps created by the Multiple Correspondence Analysis method. The methodological scope also includes the use of the Graded Response Model to attempt to identify the predominant profiles of the Portuguese citizens, in terms of their inclination for universalization values and public support to social policies and the State’s intervention to mitigate poverty and social exclusion. Finally, the article presents some reflections on the Portuguese peculiarities when compared to other EU countries, considering the great programmatic convergence related to minimum income schemes in Europe.
Dual Loyalties in Times of Crisis: Arab Israeli Citizens' Attitudes and the Methodological Challenges of Wartime Surveying
Dr Lior Yohanani (Israel Democracy Institute) - Presenting Author
Arab citizens of Israel occupy a unique position, holding citizenship in the Jewish nation State of Israel while maintaining ethnic and familial ties to the Palestinian nation. This places them at the intersection of conflicting allegiances. On the one hand, Jewish Israelis, as the majority group, as well as the Israeli authorities often perceive them as a potential internal threat, a "fifth column." On the other hand, Palestinians in the occupied territories and in the Middle East and beyond often criticize them for alleged collaboration with Israel. This dual positioning, which places Arab citizens between the hammer and the anvil, has become even more salient and challenging since the events of October 7th and throughout the ensuing war.
For example, Arab citizens consistently support ending the war, advocating for diplomatic solutions and expressing concern over the impact of military actions on Palestinian civilian populations, particularly in Gaza. At the same time, various surveys indicate an increasing trust in the Israeli military and security forces, a rejection of terrorism in general, and specific condemnation of Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7th. Furthermore, the empirical data shows a growing aspiration among Arab citizens for greater integration into Israeli society.
This presentation will explore this duality by analyzing the Israel Democracy Institute longitudinal survey data while addressing the contextual and methodological challenges of surveying an ethnic minority during times of national conflict. On a more theoretical level, it will discuss the reality of ethnic minorities' complicated position and state of mind during wars, where their connections to the opposing side put them in a precarious position. It will also offer practical insights for conducting sensitive survey research in such contexts, such as adopting highly sensitive topics and designing neutral survey instruments that avoid implicit tests of loyalty.
