Q방법론을 활용한 한부모가족지원정책에 대한 인식연구

A study on perceptions of single-parent family support policies using Q methodology

Objective: This study aims to examine the perceptions of beneficiaries regarding single-parent family support policies, classify their perception structures, and suggest beneficiary-centered policy design and implementation directions. Methods: To this end, Q methodology was utilized. A total of 34 statements were developed through literature review and preliminary interviews. 25 policy beneficiaries were selected as a P-sample and the Q-classification method was applied. Results: As a result of the analysis, four types of perceptions were derived: “Policy Trust Deficiency Type”, “Basic Support Supplement Type”, “Concentrated Support Demand,” and “Ability-Based Support Pursuit Type. These types shared an overall negative perception of the existing policy system. These results suggest that the current policy system, which treats single-parent families as a homogeneous group, does not reflect the diverse needs and expectations of actual beneficiaries. Conclusions: Based on these results, this study suggests a shift to psingle-parent family support policies that better matches the actual experiences of beneficiaries. Furthermore, we demon-strate that Q methodology is an effective approach for analyzing the subjective structure of pol-icy perception in welfare policy research.