Are surveys qualitative or quantitative research? - Voxco (2024)

Surveys are pretty much the usual part of our lives. We come across various kinds of surveys on various platforms almost every day. Surveys have proven to be the best way to gather information and insights for businesses.

Amidst all the ways of conducting surveys and analyzing them, we are left with one question. Are surveys qualitative or quantitative research? Well as deeper as this topic gets, let us dive into it and figure out an answer for ourselves.

Before understanding the nature of surveys, let us first uncover what kind of research is a survey.

Our very reliable Wikipedia says, “A survey is a list of questions aimed for extracting specific data from a particular group of people”.

What we can conclude is that a survey, is a set of questions asked to a selected sample of the population. Their answers are valuable in order to gain insights on our business or any conducted research. As there are various ways of conducting a survey both offline and online, businesses take the help of online survey software, like Voxco to create surveys that can reach millions of people in no time.

Following a well-compiled questionnaire and well-studied approach, a survey can do wonders for your strategies in the market. Not only huge businesses but all sorts of researchers have benefited from using surveys as their basic source of information and insights.

So now that we have established what type of research is a survey, let’s dig deep into understanding the purpose of this blog – Are surveys qualitative or quantitative research?

Related Read What is a Survey? A Comprehensive Overview

Before we decide what type of research is a survey, let us understand these two types of research by a simple comparison table for a better and clear understanding. As much as both are important in research process and data analysis, quantitative research vs qualitative research are fundamentally different.

Given the basic difference between the two approaches of research, the points are pretty clear.

Apart from those factors, there is still a lot of digging we have to do into each of those to understand- Are surveys qualitative or quantitative research? So, let’s focus on what is qualitative and quantitative research, their benefits, and examples.

Read about Quantitative Research Vs Qualitative Research.

Quantitative research refers to the statistical approach of quantifying and analyzing collected data. It focuses on confirming or testing a theory or an assumption. A sample of a large population is studied to find out the repeating patterns and themes.

You can conduct quantitative survey research to gather insights into people’s attitudes or choices or behaviors through gathering inputs from various sets of people. You can leverage a statistical data analysis tool to get the following results –

• Average rating/score.
• The number of times an answer option is selected
• The correlation between variables.
• The reliability and validity of the gathered data.

What are the benefits of quantitative research?

Quantitative research brings in numerical data which you can quantify and analyze in a matter of seconds using an online survey tool. However, there are more such benefits of quantitative research as we have mentioned below.

1. It allows you to gain a higher sample size.
2. Information can be gathered quickly.
3. Uses a varied and large spectrum of samples.
4. It focuses on facts.
5. Research is anonymous allowing honest feedback.
6. No observation of participants is required.

What are the examples of quantitative research questions?

Let us take a look at what type of questions make the researchers use the quantitative research approach for market research:

• What is the overall customer satisfaction level with a specific product?
• What is the optimal price range for a new product that consumers are willing to pay?
• What are the demographic characteristics of the target market for a new product?
• What is the customer effort score four our company’s customer support services?

Let’s take a look at the other research type – qualitative research.

The qualitative research approach summarizes and interprets data. The data is gathered through conversations, interviews, questionnaires, etc. This data is in the form of words, sentences, and theories and is used to understand people’s views about a topic, concepts, and expressions.

It focuses not only on ‘what” people think but also on “why” they think that. A qualitative approach is the best fit for understanding complex topics in depth. Using a text or sentiment analysis tool you can generate findings such as-

• Monitor and uncover the frequency, position, and meaning of words or phrases.
• Identify themes, trends, and patterns in the collected textual responses.
• Uncover the recurring sentiment and the terms associated with it.

What are the benefits of qualitative research?

Qualitative surveys helps you hear the unfiltered voice of your audience. Here are some of the benefits of using qualitative research for surveys.

1. Provides more data for the practical application
2. That allows it to use a smaller sample size
3. Specific insights can be developed
4. It eliminates any chances of biased data as every person has a different notion about a topic
5. Open-ended questions allow researchers to gain more information if they want to
6. It uses individual experience to turn into useful data
7. It focuses on the reason behind the decision rather than the details
8. It offers a predictive quality
9. It is more affordable than other research.

What are the examples of qualitative research questions?

You can freely use the qualitative research approach if your research problems look something like these:

• What do elderly people think about today’s excessive use of digital devices?
• How does exam pressure push students towards less practical and more theoretical knowledge?
• How does strong willpower enhance a patient’s recovery?
• How do alcohol consumption patterns affect the lungs?
• What is the relationship between social media usage and increasing cybercrime rates?
• What are the effects of employee appreciation on their overall performances?
• Why do people engage in smoking even after seeing the cancer disclaimer on the pack?
• How does social media usage affect students’ grades in school?
• How does a toxic work culture affect the productivity of a company?
• What are the effects of increasing use of private transport, on the environment?

This sums up the two types of research methodology and the data you gather from it. Now, let’s see when you can use the two approaches which will bring us closer to the answer – are surveys qualitative or quantitative research?

After understanding both the approaches pretty well, let us take a look at when to use what approach:

• If you want to test a theory, you can use a quantitative survey.
• If you want to understand a theory, you can use a qualitative survey.
• If the data you collect is in numeric format, use quantitative research.
• If the data is in sentences and paragraphs, use a qualitative approach.
• If you create surveys with close-ended questions, your surveys are quantitative surveys.
• If you create surveys with open-ended questions, the survey is qualitative research.

Let us take an example to understand how you can approach one research problem using two different methods, i.e., quantitative research vs. qualitative research.

Research problem: How happy are the elderly with today’s social media?

Quantitative approach: You will ask a group of elderly people a close-ended question like “On a scale of 1-5, how happy are you with today’s social media?”

To which you will have categorical data and you can conclude something like “74% of elderly are not happy with today’s social media”.

Qualitative approach: you will be free to ask open-ended questions like “How happy are the elderly with today’s social media?”, “What is that one thing you think has changed the most?”.

This will allow you to ask more questions and get a deeper understanding of why the elderly are not happy.

Access Award-Winning survey software, templates, and more.

A mixed survey method is a research approach where you combine the survey questions and data collection and analysis technique of both quantitative and qualitative method.

Instead of debating over quantitative research vs. qualitative research, you can simply use both in your survey and leverage the benefits. It helps you gather a comprehensive understanding of the research objective by utilizing the strengths of quantitative and qualitative methods.

In the mixed method, quantitative questions help obtain statistical insight into the topic. It includes closed-ended questions to gather numerical data so you can use statistical analysis to identify patterns and correlations.

On the other hand, qualitative questions help gather in-depth information from respondents. It includes open-ended questions allowing participants to provide feedback in their own words. You can analyze the qualitative data using text analysis or sentiment analysis to understand the underlying motivations and attitudes of the respondents.

Leverage a survey software that enables you to gather and analyze quantitative and qualitative research data efficiently. Voxco provides you with statistical analysis dashbaord and text analysis dashboard to help you gain a comprehensive view of the research objective.

The mixed method surveys enable you to explore the research subject from multiple angle and creates a holistic view.

We have already looked into what counts as a quantitative research vs qualitative research objective questions. In this section, we will look into the question types you can use in the each survey method.

1. Quantitative survey questions –

Here are some examples of quantitative survey questions you can use in your research.

• Single selection MCQ- It allows respondents to choose one answer option from a list of possible options.
• Multiple selection MCQ – Participations can choose as many answer options as they want or mentioned in the question from the list of options.
• NPS – Known as Net Promoter Score, it offers participations a scale of 1 to 10 so they can select a number that reflects how likely they are to recommend others.
• Rating – It uses stars or numbers to convey satisfaction level.
• Slider – A sliding scale that makes it interactive and allows respondents to rate their input.

2. Qualitative questions –

Qualtitative questions are open-ended so there are not many question types for this purpose. You can ask respondents to share their feedback or leave comments in a text or comment box.

A modern online survey tool should provide you with multiple question types enabling you to design not only interactive and engaging surveys but also ensure that you use the right question type to get the intended data. Voxco offers you 100+ question types so you can use the ones that fits your research objective the best.

Here are three tips for combining quantitative and qualitative research:

1. Begin with qualitative research :Qualitative research provides rich, descriptive data essential for understanding a research topic. It uncovers insights, perspectives, and motivations, serving as the foundation for deeper exploration and analysis. This approach identifies areas of interest and offers a nuanced understanding of the research context.

• Conduct open-ended interviews, focus groups, or observational research.
• Use structured surveys or data analysis to validate qualitative insights.

2. Utilize various qualitative research methods : Researchers should use various qualitative methods to explore different aspects of the research topic, gaining comprehensive insights that reflect diverse perspectives and experiences within the population.

• Conduct in-depth interviews to explore individual perspectives and experiences.
• Use case studies to analyze specific instances or examples in detail.
• Seek expert opinions to gain insights from knowledgeable sources within the field.
• Facilitate focus groups to encourage dynamic discussions among participants.
• Incorporate open-ended survey questions to allow respondents to express their views freely.
• Employ observational research to observe behavior or interactions in natural settings.

3. Define quantitative research objectives:Before collecting quantitative data, define specific research questions or trends. Quantitative research offers precise numerical data for statistical analysis, enabling conclusions and pattern identification. Clear research objectives aid in designing targeted measures, ensuring relevance and effectiveness.

• Define the key research questions or hypotheses that quantitative data will address.
• Identify the variables or metrics to be measured quantitatively.
• Collect quantitative data that directly relates to the research objectives.
• Avoid overly general or irrelevant measures that do not contribute to the research goals.

Surveys can be created using both research methods. You can create surveys that are only qualitative in nature. Or, surveys that are only quantitative in nature.

Both the quantitative and qualitative approaches are legitimate in their ways, you can use a mixed methods approach. This method allows you to carry out both approaches. The main benefit of using a mixed-methods approach is that you can draw statistical as well as categorical conclusions from your research data.

For instance, you can ask open-ended to gain new insights into the matter. You can also ask close-ended questions to get a numeric count on the matter. Both of these conclusions will result in a better analysis of the question in research.

This answers our main question – Are surveys qualitative or quantitative research? You can create surveys that use closed-ended questions and collect numerical data or uses open-ended questions and collect textual or audio data.

In any case, surveys can gather insights that can help you better understand your customers and make business decisions confidently.

Create powerful and effective surveys with various question types using online survey software.