Quantitative Results and Qualitative Results - What’s the Difference and Which is Better?

Before you even start with market research it’s important to understand the difference between quantitative and qualitative results.

Definitions:

Quantitative - This type of insite research is used to gather numerical data and statistics so that you can put a number with the attitudes, opinions, behaviors and other variables that you define from your sample population. This data is measurable and can be used to find patterns and formulate facts.

To gather this type of information you’ll use surveys, face-to-face and telephone interviews, long-term studies, polls and more.
Qualitative - This type of research is used to get an understanding of the reasons something is as it is. Not only that, you’ll want to understand your audience’s opinions and motivations for feeling how they feel, and qualitative results will do that for you. The insights you get with qualitative research of Focus Insite, the nationwide recruitment agency, will show you how your audience is thinking and feeling and what they need and want.

To gather this type of information you may use focus groups, individual interviews as well as observation methods with small groups.

Both types of research are important, and the best results usually come when the two are used in tandem. By combining both types of data, you can fill in the blanks and prove or disprove correlation. So much matters in research results - from who conducted the research to what types of information the researcher was trying to prove or disprove. It’s clear that using both types of data will help you get more accurate results.

Focus Insite is a qualitative research consultant. We evaluate your companies market research needs and gather respondents that fit them. In doing this, we help you find key insights from your consumers that may have otherwise gotten lost. The raw, hard numbers quantitative research provides are extremely useful, but so are the honest, unfiltered opinions straight from your consumers that you get through qualitative research.

Original reference: http://bit.ly/2Kj2sjJ