Quantitative and qualitative research: perceptual foundations
Chris Barnham
Chris Barnham Research and Strategy Ltd
Introduction
The distinctions between quantitative and qualitative market research are well rehearsed. The former measures phenomena such as brand awareness, brand penetration, product preferences, etc., and elicits numbers and percentages that, at least within the constraints of a given sample, have the status of ‘facts’. Qualitative market research, in contrast, is used when more ‘in depth’ understanding of consumer attitudes, behaviour and motivations is required.
The quantitative search for ‘facts’ can be usefully thought of as a series of ‘what?’ questions (e.g. whatnumber or...