OREGON VALUES AND BELIEFS CENTER

TYPOLOGY AND COMMON GROUND

Oregon isn't simply one thing or another: Deserts, beaches, mountains, forests.
Oregonians aren't either.

Building on past research from DHM’s Oregon Values and Beliefs Studies, Policy Interactive, and Pew Research, the 2023 Typology Study continues a tradition of high-quality opinion research to engage all Oregonians about the important values we share and embrace.

Rather than adhering to traditional ideas of what (or where, or who) divides us, the OVBC 2023 Typology Study clusters Oregonians into “neighborhoods” of shared values and beliefs. The study offers a clearer understanding of our common priorities and lays a stronger foundation for collaboration, even when we disagree.

Social scientists describe values as individual or cultural mores that set standards and guide behavior by way of a mental compass. But even values regarded as stable may change gradually over time. Values research gives us a window into how, when, why, and to what extent those values evolve. This type of research offers a sense of our commonalities and differences. It also identifies the building blocks for accountability, trust, reciprocity, respect, solidarity, and collaboration in our lives and more broadly, in our community.

Oregon Values and Beliefs Survey

The Typology Topic Summaries page provides an introduction to the findings from the full sample of the survey, segmented by the topics below. Each topic has its own page with general observations and response percentages for the full sample to questions on that topic. The included topics are as follows:

      - Economy and Jobs

      - Environment and Land Use

      - Government and Politics

      - Success and Wellbeing

      - Religion and Faith

A document with response percentages for the full sample for every question in the survey can be found attached to this newswire post. 

An excel file with response percentages stratified by demographic characteristics can be found attached to this newswire post.

Typology of Oregonians: 8 Clusters, or “Neighborhoods” of Shared Values and Beliefs

The Cluster Analysis Overview provides an overview of the cluster analysis used to identify 8 clusters of shared values and beliefs among Oregonians, including basic methodology, how to read, interpret, and understand the tables that display the 8 clusters' responses to the 21 A/B statements used in the cluster analysis, as well as the tables themselves.

Rather than groups characterized by typical qualities thought to divide us (age, geography, political party), cluster analysis was used to group Oregonians based on their answers to broader questions about values, beliefs, and a few key policy issues. 

An iterative process was used to determine a combination of questions and clusters that are the most statistically powerful and accurate in clustering or grouping Oregonians based on values and beliefs. 

While the 8 clusters may tend to lean one way or another, politically, each cluster responds to at least one question in a way that defies its typical placement on a conservative-to-liberal scale.

The Cluster Profiles page gives a down-to-earth explanation of what cluster analysis is, answers to some FAQ's, and an introduction to the profiles of the 8 clusters. The profiles (linked below) include characteristics that are prevalent among each group, such as age group, education, urban/rural, likelihood of voting, etc. Links to the 8 profiles:

       - Cluster 1: Party-Aligned Progressives

      - Cluster 2: Dispassionate Liberals

      - Cluster 3: Alienated Young Left

      - Cluster 4: Green Rural Independents

      - Cluster 5: Diverse and Devout

      - Cluster 6: Disengaged Traditional Conservatives

      - Cluster 7: Free-Market Libertarians

      - Cluster 8: Modern Conservative Loyalists

The Common Ground and Areas of Dissonance page highlights, from among the 21 Typology questions, areas that represent strong common ground, moderate common ground, and areas of dissonance (or what we don't agree on). 12 of the A/B statements represent strong common ground; 4 represent moderate common ground; and 5 represent areas areas of disagreement.

An excel file with response percentages stratified by the 8 clusters can be found attached to this newswire post.

ALSO ATTACHED: an excel file of word-for-word open-ended responses, sortable by demographic characteristics (including County), and with contact information for participants who indicated they are willing to be contacted by a journalist.

Recognizing this is a massive amount of complex information, if you and/or several members of your staff would like to schedule a brief video call to run through the project, please reach out! We can verbally explain and answer questions to get people up to speed pretty quickly. Call, Email, or Text Amaury Vogel at the included phone or email address.