Client: Catholic Relief Services

The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) collaborated with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to validate and enhance The Social Cohesion Barometer (SCB), a tool developed by CRS to assess and strengthen social cohesion in divided communities.

The study applied a robust quantitative validation process, combining Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to identify underlying patterns among the 18 SCB indicators, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to test the consistency of these indicators across three societal spheres: socio-cultural, political, and economic.

By applying advanced visualisation techniques to the survey data, the study uncovered key trends and patterns in social cohesion across different regions and demographics. The findings affirm SCB’s reliability in assessing social cohesion and demonstrates how it can be used to support program monitoring, context assessments, and comparative studies.