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Qualitative & quantitative research

  • /
  • Unit 4 - Marketing/
  • 4.4 Market research/
  • Qualitative & quantitative research

The difference between qualitative and quantitative research (AO2)

Qualitative research

Qualitative research is a category of market research based on the opinions, perceptions, views, and preferences of research participants. It creates detailed and non-numerical information. The results of are typically descriptive in nature and aim to reveal the preferences of the research subjects (participants).

Qualitative research is considered with discovering “why?” – why people do certain things, why they prefer one brand over another, or why they might like or dislike something. It enables market researchers to gather information that cannot be easily quantified.

Quantitative research

Quantitative research is a category of market research based on gathering numerical data and figures, i.e. quantifiable data. It enables researchers to determine trends, correlations and patterns, such the number of people prefer a particular brand. It focuses on collecting large amounts of data. Surveys (with closed questions) and observations allow for easy collation of quantitative data. It is normal for surveys to ask closed or multiple choice questions so that their results can easily be analysed. Secondary research methods such as government population statistics or market analysis reports are also appropriate sources of quantitative data. 

Box 1 - A comparison of qualitative and quantitative research

Qualitative research

Quantitative research

  • Addresses the “why” (open-ended) questions

  • Uses in-depth investigations to discover the reasons behind consumer behaviour, preferences and choices

  • It is based on the viewpoints and opinions of the research subjects

  • Generally more challenging and time consuming to collect, collate, and interpret qualitative responses

  • Often reliant on primary research to discover consumers preferences and opinions

  • Can generate a lot of information, even with a low number of respondents.

  • Addresses the “what” (closed and quantifiable) questions

  • Generally easier to collect, collate and interpret quantitative research results

  • Often reliant on secondary research to find data or information

  • Helps researchers to identify trends and correlations in order to inform their marketing strategies

  • Using quantitative research results helps firms to make more objective decisions

  • Requires a large number of participants in order to gather representative and quantifiable results

  • Numbers alone do not reveal all the information to make rational decisions.

All types of market research (primary, secondary, qualitative, or quantitative) come with their limitations. Poor quality input data (such as researcher bias or poorly worded survey questions) will result in inaccurate, unrepresentative, or misleading research results. Hence, time and resources need to be invested in market research to ensure it achieves the desired objectives.

 Key concept - Ethics

“You may prove anything by figures” - Thomas Carlyle, Scottish writer (1795 - 1881)

Ethics can be described as the moral principles and values held by society.

Discuss the importance of ethics in the context of market research. In your response, consider how market research is designed and how the results are shared and presented, from an ethical perspective.

 Business Management Toolkit (Descriptive statistics)

Discuss how the use of descriptive statistics can improve the presentation of market research findings.

Theory of Knowledge (TOK)

To what extent can we rely on statistical data collected to determine and justify business decision making?

 Watch this short video to recap your understanding of quantitative and qualitative market research:

Key terms

  • Qualitative research is based on the opinions, perceptions, or views of market research participants.

  • Quantitative research is based on gathering numerical data and figures for market research purposes.

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