Learn the key differences between qualitative and quantitative research, and when to use them for your next study.
How familiar are you with the difference between qualitative and quantitative research methods?
If you write down your answer or explain it to someone, you provide qualitative data. Your answer is descriptive, not quantifiable or measurable.
Now take a look at this list of predefined answers:
You provide quantitative data if you choose an answer option instead of describing it in your own words. Your answer can be assigned a numeric value, measured, and expressed as a percentage or other data point.
Which research method is better? It depends on your research goals and what you want to do with the data you collect.
Keep reading to learn about the key differences between quantitative vs. qualitative questions, their strengths and limitations, and get examples of how they can work together.
Qualitative research is a type of first-hand observation where researchers focus on understanding human behaviors, motivations, and emotions. The most common types of qualitative research are interviews, focus groups, and surveys that ask for written responses.
Quantitative research is a type of data collection where researchers focus on taking measurements, making predictions, and validating hypotheses. The most common types of quantitative research are surveys, experiments, studies, and data analysis.
Let’s say you’re running market research to develop a new product. Should you conduct qualitative or quantitative research? It depends on your research goal and your available resources. To help you decide, here are the strengths and limitations of both quantitative and qualitative research.
Research type | Strengths | Limitations |
Qualitative (Interviews, focus groups, write-in survey responses) | -Allows researchers to ask follow-up questions and clarify answers -Gives context to your performance metrics, like website visits or product returns -Captures subjective insights that can help you uncover unique perspectives, new ideas, and themes -Helps you understand more intangible concepts like company culture or unmet needs | -Because the data are text-based, they can be difficult to analyze -Can be costly and time-consuming -Unlikely that you’ll reach a large enough sample size for statistical significance -Run the risk of drawing conclusions that aren’t representative of the needs of your target population |
Quantitative (Surveys with predefined answer options, studies, experiments, data analysis) | -Provides numerical and statistical data for analysis -Able to generalize findings from a large sample size -Benchmark data and track metrics over time -Can be more cost effective, scale more easily -Certain types of quantitative research, like surveys, can be less time consuming and costly | -Doesn’t capture the “why” behind the data -Even carefully designed quantitative studies and research can be prone to sampling bias -Larger, time-based studies can take years to complete and be costly |
Because of the difference between quantitative and qualitative data, you can use both to complement each other. Here’s how to mix research methods for a more holistic understanding of your research topic.
Surveys are a great tool for performing mixed methods research. When you create a survey, you can easily include both open-ended and closed-ended survey questions for better insights. Here’s how to take advantage of the difference between qualitative and quantitative research with examples.
Whether measuring employee engagement or customer loyalty, you probably use the Net Promoter ScoreⓇ (NPS). You might want to consider adding it to your research if you're not. That’s because NPS is an industry standard many organizations use to track performance.
The question, “How likely is it that you would recommend our product to a friend or colleague,” provides quantitative data.
Let’s say your NPS is 70 one month and 60 the next. Because you benchmark and track your NPS, you know you’ve got issues to address, but where do you start? Luckily, you use survey logic to ask customers who gave you a lower rating to explain their answers:
There are many survey rating scales, from stars to smiley faces and beyond. Many answer options also include word scales, where someone can choose their level of agreement, satisfaction, or just about anything else.
Although some answer options might seem subjective, they result in quantitative data you can chart, track, and analyze. Here’s an example from our Employee Satisfaction Survey Template:
Of course, “strongly disagree” or “strongly agree” is an opinion. But these answer options can be broken down into percentages or raw numbers. For example, 59% of survey participants agreed they were satisfied with the workplace culture.
Numbers only tell part of the story; you can use open-ended questions for more context. For example, how do you know if 59% is good or bad? Maybe if you compared it to the year before, and it’s higher, that’s good. But why?
Ask a question like, “Describe your experience in the workplace,” to fill in some details. The answers you get could influence your next steps.
Know the questions to ask and how to understand the answers you get. Our survey templates and features will make your next project a success.
Check out our customer satisfaction survey templates or take a look at these examples:
Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with our company?
Which of the following words would you use to describe our products? Select all that apply.
How much time did it take us to address your questions and concerns?
Check out our market research survey templates or take a look at these examples:
How familiar are you with our brand?
When was the last time you used this product category?
Thinking about the logo overall, which of the following best describes your feelings about it?
Check out our employee feedback survey templates or take a look at these examples:
How good is the quality of this employee’s work?
I am satisfied with my opportunities for professional growth.
How happy or unhappy are you with your current role at your job?
Check out our event feedback survey templates or take a look at these examples:
Overall, how would you rate the event?
How organized was the event?
Was the event length too long, too short, or about right?
How likely are you to attend this event again in the future?
Net Promoter, Net Promoter Score, and NPS are trademarks of Satmetrix Systems, Inc., Bain & Company, Inc., and Fred Reichheld.