This thesis is an attempt to find alternative ways of approaching the study of values and political attitudes. The theoretical framework used for this purpose is Schwartz basic human values theory. Value profiles are elaborated for ten individual interviews and one focus group. Quantitatively, the Schwartz Value Questionnaire produced scores for each participant. Using Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) a different profile based on quotations is generated. The results suggest that both measurements inform about the priorities of the interviewee, and that numeric scores can be helpful to understand the relevance of certain political attitudes expressed in the semi-structured interviews, such as the perceived dimensions of political competition.
Additionally, data from five focus groups, conducted with participants from five different municipalities of the State of Mexico, was analyzed using QCA. The qualitative as well as the quantitative differences between the five groups suggest that this method, combined with the framework of Schwartz basic human values, produces meaningful results that can be related to the socioeconomic profiles of the municipalities.
