Anthropology in Evaluation: Free-Listing to Generate Cultural Models

Free-listing is a quick, semi-quantitative methodology commonly used by anthropologists to uncover information within a cultural domain. In this method note, we review how anthropologists have used free-listing in a variety of research settings. We then apply the social-ecological framework to describe how free-listing can be used for formative, process, outcome, and impact stages of program evaluation. Each type of evaluation includes a set of example free-list prompts to help researchers begin using this tool. We propose that free-listing is a beneficial data collection method in program evaluation. The free-listing method has identified barriers to treatment within our own work with clients recovering from either substance use disorder (SUD) or opioid use disorder (OUD) and has aided in providing flexible, individualized services. We conclude by providing recommendations for collecting free-list data and demonstrating the ease of computing free-list results by providing instructions and an example on how to analyze free-list responses.