Qualitative vs Quantitative Research

	Qualitative Research	Quantitative* Research
Objective / purpose:	To gain an understanding of underlying reasons and motivations To provide insights into the setting of a problem, generating ideas and/or hypotheses for later quantitative research To uncover prevalent trends in thought and opinion	To quantify data and generalize results from a sample to the population of interest To measure the incidence of various views and opinions in a chosen sample Sometimes followed by qualitative research which is used to explore some findings further
Sample	Usually a small number of non-representative cases Respondents selected to fulfil a given quota	Usually a large number of cases* representing the population of interest Randomly selected respondents
Data collection	Unstructured or semi-structured techniques e.g. individual depth interviews or group discussions	Structured techniques* such as on-street or telephone interviews
Data analysis	Non-statistical	Statistical*; data is usually in the form of tabulations Findings are conclusive and usually descriptive* in nature.
Outcome	Exploratory and/or investigative Findings are not conclusive and cannot be used to make generalizations about the population of interest Develop an initial understanding and sound base for further decision making	Used to recommend a final course of action

* Snap Survey Software is the ideal solution for programmes of quantitative research where structured techniques; large numbers of respondents and descriptive findings are the norm.