Q-methodology dataset

In order to categorise the perspectives of scientists, practitioners and activists involved in agroecology across Europe, we used Q-methodology and asked participants to rank a predefined set of 41 statements on agroecology according to their level of agreement or disagreement. They were asked to position the statements in a grid, in which the number of cells was constrained, ranging from those they most strongly reject (score -4 in the grid) to those they support the most (score +4). Success of the method lies in the diversity of participant profiles within the sample population. From June to October 2025, we surveyed: i) participants to Agroecology Europe Forum in Malmö, Sweden (40 surveys collected from participants of 13 countries), ii) facilitators and actors involved in the 11 Innovation Hubs of Agroecology-TRANSECT European project (32 surveys, 10 countries), iii) participants to the annual meeting of the European Network of Agroecology Living Labs and Research Infrastructures in Bordeaux, France (25 surveys, 11 countries), iv) participants to various European projects (Climate Farm Demo, Climate Smart Advisors, AGROSUS on sustainable weed management), Erasmus project Wonder Commonlands (on women networking in rural areas), the 8th Farming System Design conference, and the 3rd International Conference on Women in Agroecology (47 surveys in total). Finally, 63 surveys were collected by reaching agroecology experts online, with a snow-ball sampling approach balanced as possible across geographical areas. While collecting the data, each participant was informed that there was no judgement of their answers, and that these would be treated anonymously. This sampling effort led us to collect a total of 207 answers (93 scientists, 65 practitioners, 49 activists) from 21 European countries. For France, asterisks are for participants from Mediterranean areas (Provence and Languedoc); 110 participants were women, 90 were men and the remaining 7 surveys were filled by a man and a woman working together (each pair counting for one answer).