If you are new to the world of creating surveys, you might have a few questions about what a survey is and the different types. At SurveyPlanet, we give you the tools you need to create any survey. We also want to help you understand how to create better surveys that serve your distinct purposes.
Interested in finding out when a survey is a part of qualitative versus quantitative research?
What is a survey and how to know if it is qualitative or quantitative?
A survey is a method of gathering information from a select sample of people. Responses can be used to gain insights and data that enable drawing conclusions about a subject. The sample size of a survey represents a larger population and there are two different types of research: qualitative and quantitative. The type of research determines which kind of questions to ask.
Are surveys qualitative or quantitative methods of data collection?
A survey can be qualitative or quantitative. If you create a questionnaire with answer options using a scale then it is quantitative. If you have questions that require detailed responses then it is qualitative. Mixed-method surveys involve both.
What is a qualitative survey?
A qualitative survey collects data in order to describe a topic. In other words, the survey is more interested in learning about opinions, views, and impressions than numerical data. Qualitative surveys are less structured and offer insights into the way people think, their motivations, and attitudes toward a topic. Such surveys are more difficult to analyze but can supply much-needed depth to research. Qualitative surveys give answers to “why” and “how.”
What types of survey questions are analyzed qualitatively?
Many of the most powerful surveys are qualitative. They collect data that enables an understanding of people’s attitudes, motivations, and experiences. Qualitative surveys provide a deeper level of insight into consumer behavior and preferences than quantitative surveys.
Qualitative research survey questions examples
Qualitative questions are a useful research method when the goal is describing certain phenomena rather than getting an exact answer. Therefore, instead of sitting down one-on-one with participants, survey questions have a short-answer box that respondents can use to express themselves. Qualitative research questions are open-ended and are useful for market research and other data collection purposes.
Read our “How to Analyze Survey Data: Learn What to Do With Survey Responses?“ to optimize data collection and analysis.
Benefits of using a qualitative survey
For the most part, qualitative surveys are completely exploratory. Their main purpose is to understand the way a targeted group thinks—its opinions and attitudes about a particular topic. During the analysis phase, every word written by respondents can be analyzed to form a hypothesis.
Although this type of survey is great for learning more about personal opinions, it’s best suited for a small sample size. Conclusions aren’t necessarily representative of the targeted group, and instead only a small portion of it.
Despite small sample sizes, qualitative surveys are essential for identifying weak points in business operations. Once identified, create related questions to include in a quantitative survey, which often are not carried out without doing qualitative research beforehand.
Examples of qualitative research surveys
There are many different ways to use qualitative research, with qualitative questions often used in interviews that collect data from one person about one topic. If the plan is to send a qualitative research survey to employees about job satisfaction or company culture, interviewing a few employees first is a good start. This way, you have an idea of what topics to bring up as well as possible follow-up questions. Think of qualitative surveys as a way to gain insight that will help in the creation of a comprehensive quantitative survey down the line.
Types of a survey questionnaire in qualitative research
Another example of qualitative research is a case study, which is like interviews in that they collect data from one source and are primarily focused on opinions. If you want to use a case study as a marketing tool to attract more customers, conduct a one-on-one interview and ask participants a series of questions about your business that can be showcased on your website.
Expert opinions are another example of qualitative research in which an expert weighs in on a topic. Again, this is a way to gather insights from a single source about a specific topic.
Yet another example of qualitative research is focus groups, where A small sample size is asked for opinions on a certain subject. Focus groups allow the reactions of individuals to be gauged in a free-flowing setting. This is a great way to test a new product or marketing strategy.
You can also collect the same type of information by conducting a qualitative survey.
What is a quantitative survey?
A quantitative survey collects facts and numbers from respondents. It’s most commonly used to prove or disprove a hypothesis after completing qualitative research. The analysis phase looks at the statistical data to draw conclusions, such as proving or disproving a specific hypothesis. Choosing the right type of survey to distribute depends on the ultimate goal of the research.
Benefits of using a quantitative survey
There are several benefits to using quantitative surveys to collect data. For one, they allow the testing and substantiation of conclusions previously developed. The analysis phase is usually straightforward since it involves looking at numbers. Short, written answers do not need to be analyzed. There are no opinions or detailed answers involved.
On the flip side, quantitative surveys aren’t always ideal because a large sample size is required to come to a credible conclusion. For example, a survey sent to 100 people to sample the operations of a business with millions of customers is not credible. It’s safe to say that the answers of 100 participants won’t represent the entire customer base. Read about analyzing survey data correctly here.
An example of a survey with quantitative data
Quantitative research can be conducted by carrying out one of two types of surveys. The first is a cross-sectional survey, which gives multiple variables to analyze during a particular time period. It’s most common in the health care, retail, and small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) industries.
The other type is a longitudinal survey. This type of survey is commonly conducted over a certain amount of time, anywhere from days to years. The purpose is to observe changes in behavior or thought processes over time. For example, the buying habits of a teenager can be tracked through their adult years. This type of survey is ideal for long-term feedback on services or products, or when a certain sequence of events is important.
Qualitative versus quantitative survey question examples
To sum up and better illustrate the theme, we prepared a table with quantitative and qualitative survey question examples that will aid in the writing of an excellent survey.
| Qualitative questions example | Quantitative questions examples |
| What is your most important consideration when choosing a certain service? | How often do you use our services? |
| What are your impressions of our services? | How likely are you to use our services again? |
| Describe the last time you used our services. | On a scale of 1–5, how satisfied were you with your customer service experience? |
| How would you describe your experience? | How strongly do you agree with the following statement: |
| How would you improve our services? | Would you recommend our services to a friend? |
When to use qualitative versus quantitative research
So, when do you use a qualitative survey as opposed to a quantitative survey? Use qualitative research when the main objective is to understand respondents’ motivations and opinions or gather insights with which to create a hypothesis. Use quantitative research to measure findings from qualitative research. The data gathered from quantitative research will usually allow for a conclusion to be drawn, while qualitative research only allows for the development of a hypothesis.
If you’re ready to test out either qualitative or quantitative research, it’s time to create a survey and get started. SurveyPlanet has many different themes and pre-made surveys to help. Sign up for a free account today! If you want to gather more insights and further expand your research, our Pro plan gives access to even more features (such as question branching).
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