To this day, research on public opinion remains heavily influenced by quantitative studies and surveys. Yet public opinion research emerged in the 1950s as a paradigm that combined quantitative and qualitative approaches, with the goal not only of measuring public opinion but also of gaining a deeper understanding of the processes and mechanisms involved in opinion formation. Since then, however, qualitative methods have increasingly lost their significance in public opinion research. The German Research Foundation (DFG) network “Qualitative Research on Public Opinion” aims to revive this tradition.
The network was founded on its members’ conviction that qualitative methods are particularly well-suited to getting to the root of the current crises facing democratic societies—that is, the complex interplay of socioeconomic transformation processes, media change, the rise of right-wing populist and anti-democratic politics, and climate change, a phenomenon often referred to in political science as a “polycrisis.” Over the next three years, the network’s members will focus in particular on three areas: (1) the emergence of new social divides, such as polarization, realignment, and new political conflicts like those contributing to the rise of right-wing populist parties; (2) the perceived emotionalization of politics and public debates; and (3) the problem of misinformation and the role of changing media systems in an era often described as “post-factual.”
The network comprises nineteen early-career researchers from the fields of political science, sociology, and ethnology, including Dr Julia Leser. It is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and organized by Linus Westheuser, Anna Berg, and Lena Röllicke.
The network’s kickoff meeting took place July 3–4, 2026, at the Max Planck Institute in Göttingen, featuring keynote speeches by Josh Pacewicz (Brown University) and Gabriel Abend (University of Göttingen). In addition, ongoing research projects were presented, methodological issues were discussed, and topics were identified that the network will address over the next three years.
