Differences between qualitative and quantitative research
We’ve now given a broad overview of both qualitative and quantitative research. Based on this, we can summarize the differences between these two approaches as follows:
| Differences | Quantitative research | Qualitative research |
|---|---|---|
| Use case | Focuses on testing hypotheses. Can also be used to determine general facts about a topic. | Focuses on developing an idea or hypotheses. Can also be used to gain a deeper understanding into specific topics. |
| Analysis | Analysis is mainly done through mathematical or statistical analytics. | Analysis is more interpretive and involves summarizing and categorizing topics or themes and interpreting data. |
| Data | Data is typically expressed in numbers, graphs, tables, or other numerical formats. | Data is generally expressed in words or text. |
| Sample size | Requires a reasonably large sample size to be reliable. | Requires smaller sample sizes with only a few respondents. |
| Questions | Data collection is focused on closed-ended questions. | Data collection is focused on open-ended questions to extract the opinions and views on a particular subject. |
