Comparing Attention and Change in Morality Issues

Abstract

This chapter presents the research design, operationalization of key concepts, and the main methods of analysis, combining large-n quantitative analysis with in-depth qualitative analysis of key cases to explore the explanatory framework of morality policy attention and change in the religious world. The study selects two typical morality policies (prostitution policy and same-sex marriage) and four representative countries of the religious world (Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain) and examines them for a period of twenty years (1994–2014). The chapter presents a novel and comprehensive dataset (PoliMoral) that includes newly collected data on morality policy attention, party preferences on morality issues (including intra- and inter-party conflict levels), and morality policy change data. These variables persuade not only with thorough operationalizations but also with innovative data-collection techniques.