Designing Questionnaires for Assessing Communal Quality of Life: A Well-Living Paradigm Study of Regional Australia's Muslim Diaspora

This paper introduces a novel survey questionnaire designed by S A Hamed Hosseini, aimed at assessing the quality of life of Muslims in regional Australia. The development of this survey is guided by the conceptual framework of the “Well-Living Paradigm,” as outlined in Hosseini’s 2023 article. This paradigm forms the basis for a comprehensive exploration of various life aspects including socio-economic status, religious practices, health, social networks, and experiences of discrimination among the Muslim community. The questionnaire is unique in its methodical organization and holistic approach, encompassing a range of topics to ensure a thorough understanding of the quality of life from multiple perspectives. This survey operationalizes the new paradigm by structuring questions around its four essential components (objective, subjective, intersubjective, and transsubjective) and dimensions (individual, household, community, and broader society). Each section of the questionnaire is carefully crafted to reflect the key concepts and themes of the paradigm, facilitating data collection that is theoretically aligned and contextually relevant. The survey also incorporates innovative elements, with most questions being developed anew, while others are adapted from established sources like the World Values Survey project. While the survey is specifically tailored for Muslims in regional Australia, its principles can be effectively applied in different settings, necessitating diverse research tools and approaches. This adaptability is balanced with caution against the over-reliance on positivist methodologies. The paradigm advocates a balanced integration of quantitative and qualitative methods within the critical realist ontological and epistemological frameworks. This approach ensures that the data analysis remains deeply connected to and informed by the theoretical underpinnings of the paradigm, thereby guaranteeing empirically sound and philosophically consistent research outcomes.