Balancing Qualitative And Quantitative Survey Questions

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

• Understand the importance of using Qualitative & Quantitative questions in surveys.
• Balance Qualitative & Quantitative questions & provide a middle ground in your surveys.
• Identify different use cases and question types belonging to Qualitative & Quantitative in Surveys.

1. Importance of using Qualitative & Quantitative Questions in Surveys

In surveys, both qualitative and quantitative questions play crucial roles in gathering valuable insights from respondents. By combining both types of questions, researchers can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the topic, identify areas that require further exploration, and develop targeted interventions or solutions.

This lesson introduces you to various vocabulary and ideas related to qualitative and quantitative questions. You will be able to think cohesively and choose the right balance of questions when you finish reading this lesson.

Both Qualitative and Quantitative questions are highly instrumental in ensuring the success of a survey.

Are you responsible for running surveys for your organization? Do you want to run a survey for a research study? Do you need more clarity on when to use Qualitative and Quantitative questions in your surveys?

First, understand what qualitative and quantitative questions are actually.

2. Qualitative Questions

Qualitative questions delve into “why” and “how”. These questions offer deeper insights. The respondents get a chance to express their ideas in their own words.

Qualitative questions are Open-ended questions.

Pros

• Uncover the complex opinions and emotions of respondents.
• Respondents can express themselves freely.

Cons

• Responses are more challenging to categorize.
• Requires more time for analysts to interpret.

Examples

• What did you enjoy most about your dining experience at our restaurant?
• How likely are you to recommend our restaurant to friends and family?

3. Quantitative Questions

Quantitative questions are the backbone of data-driven decision-making. They collect measurable and numeric data. The respondents tend to select a response from a pre-defined set of options.

Quantitative questions are Close-ended questions.

Pros

• Provides concrete data that is easier to analyze.
• Large sample sizes can be managed effectively.

Cons

• Might miss receiving the nuances of the respondent’s experience.
• Respondents are bound to pre-defined answers.

Examples

• On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with our restaurant food?
• How frequently do you come to our restaurant? (options: Never, Daily, Weekly, Monthly)

4. Open-ended vs. Close-ended questions

Open-ended questions are usually Quantitative and close-ended questions are usually Qualitative. As a survey creator, you should know when you want to choose open-ended questions and when to choose close-ended questions.

Look at your open-ended or close-ended questions and ask yourself why you are using them.

Let’s take an example of an open-ended question you asked, “What do you think of the ambiance of our restaurant?”. For this question, people would love to give feedback in their own words, and most times, you will get creative and out-of-the-box answers.

If that is not the kind of feedback you are looking for, you should consider using a close-ended question like, “What do you think of the ambiance of the restaurant relative to our competitors? ” This question has the following options from which respondents can choose an answer.

• Higher
• About the same
• Lower

This kind of question will give your survey respondents clarity. It will also provide you with consistent data that is easy to analyze.

So, always question yourself as to why you are using open-ended or close-ended questions before zeroing in on a particular question type.

There's power in pairing quantitative and qualitative questions. Find it in the next section.

5. Power of Pairing

Hybrid questions pair both Qualitative and Quantitative questions. Hybrid questions provide a middle ground, combining the strengths of both Qualitative and Quantitative questions.

For example, respondents can be asked to rate their satisfaction with a restaurant on a 1-10 scale (Quantitative). Immediately follow up with a prompt (Qualitative) asking, “Why did you give that rating?”. You gain a deeper understanding when you pair a Quantitative rating with a Qualitative explanation. You get a clear picture of the respondent’s perspective.

A ‘5’ rating on its own tells you something; knowing the reason behind the rating adds a layer of depth.

When you combine Qualitative and Quantitative questions, you can capture a holistic response. This also makes sure your surveys are more concise and thus improves the completion rates.

6. Striking the right balance

6.1. Purpose of survey

Start by understanding the purpose of your survey.

Does your survey measure something specific or explore an idea?

If your survey measures something specific, have more quantitative questions.

If your survey aims to explore an idea, have more qualitative questions.

6.2. Question Sequencing

To receive a strong foundation for your survey, start with quantitative questions that give you numbers. Then follow with qualitative questions to explore deeper into the reason behind the numbers. This approach enriches your survey, giving it depth and valuable insights.

However, there is another line of thought that suggests starting surveys with qualitative questions first and then moving on to quantitative questions. This will make the survey more receptive to respondent's ideas.

So you can choose the question sequencing that you think is the best for your case.

6.3. Exploratory / Confirmatory

The balance between qualitative and quantitative should align with the type of survey.

Exploratory surveys might have more qualitative questions, whereas Confirmatory surveys might have more quantitative questions.

Therefore, get yourself accustomed to recognizing the nature of your survey. This should help you attain the right balance.

6.4. Test your survey

Test your survey on a small group of people.

Testing is done to ensure that the questions are clear and that the balance between qualitative and quantitative questions feels right.

Based on the feedback from your pilot testing, you can adjust the number of qualitative and quantitative questions accordingly.

6.5. Holistic Analysis

While analyzing the result of your survey, make sure to consider responses from both qualitative and quantitative questions for analysis.

This holistic approach will give you better insights and ensure your survey's purpose is attained. So, do not ignore it if you need better results.

7. Use Cases

The decision to use qualitative or quantitative methods depends entirely on the purpose of the survey and the type of feedback to collect.

Here are a few general use cases where one is preferred over another. These use cases fit well into either the Qualitative or Quantitative type.

7.1. Data Validation

Quantitative surveys help you get the numbers with which you can discover whether your hypothesis is correct or not.

For example, if one genuinely feels that students in a particular college prefer Restaurant A shoes over Restaurant B, then there is a need to run a quantitative survey to discover the result.

Quantitative surveys are apt for this kind of data validation survey.

7.2. Quick Response

Quantitative surveys help you get quick responses.

For example, a question like “Do you like Restaurant A?” is easier to answer than “What do you feel could be improved about Restaurant A?”.

In this case, qualitative questions require some thinking and time, which may lead to respondent fatigue.

It is best to stick to Quantitative surveys to receive quicker responses and better completion rates.

7.3. Human Perspective

Obtaining a human perspective is a key use case where qualitative questions become unquestionably important.

The opinions you collect using qualitative questions are the only way to understand what people think about your product.

It helps you get honest and unbiased feedback. It also helps you get out-of-the-box and creative responses. Qualitative questions are the right fit if you need real humane responses.

8. BlockSurvey Question Types

BlockSurvey provides you with an exhaustive list of question types that can help you capture Quantitative and Qualitative data.

8.1. Quantitative Question Types

You can find specific question types from BlockSurvey that can capture Quantitative data.

• Radio Buttons: This is a question type you should use when you want your respondent to select just one option from your list of all possible choices.
• Check Boxes: Check Boxes are similar to radio buttons, but checkboxes provide the flexibility to select more than one option from your list of choices.
• Drop-downs: Drop-downs are another excellent way for respondents to select answers. BlockSurvey supports drop-downs with both single selection and multiple selection.
• Ranking questions: This question type is a fun and interactive way to engage the respondents. The respondents get a chance to rank answers while dragging and dropping.

Ranking, Sliders, and NPS are a few other quantitative question types often used in surveys.

8.2. Qualitative Question Types

The type of question types you can use to get qualitative data is limited, but you can receive many creative responses with the available question types.

• “Other” Box: This is an added option included with the radio box that lets respondent select and provide the most expressive answer in their own words.
• Short Text: This is a short text field where the respondents can write a few words or a single sentence about their experience. Short Texts are apt for receiving people's names.
• Long Text: Long text is similar to short text but has room for respondents to provide more detailed answers in their own words. This is helpful for receiving creative, expressive, and more humane responses.

Test Your Knowledge

Key Takeaways

• Qualitative questions are open-ended. Qualitative questions are closed-ended.
• Pairing Quantitative & Qualitative questions captures a holistic response.
• Quantitative surveys are suitable for quick feedback.
• Qualitative surveys capture the human perspective.

Congratulations! You have completed this lesson.