quantitative data

Question 1

what is quantitative data

Answer 1

data that can be measured

eg age, sex, ethnicity, class

Question 2

how is qualitative data analyzed

Answer 2

statistically

• favours quantity, objectivity and reliability of data

Question 3

primary sources of quantitative data

Answer 3

questionnaires, experiments

Question 4

secondary sources of quantitative data

Answer 4

official statistics

Question 5

advantages of quantitative data

Answer 5

• can collect large quantities of data
• study can be replicated to check results
• data can be analysed statistically to reveal trends in the data (causal laws)
• the research is less likely to influence the responses of their samples

Question 6

disadvantages of quantitative data

Answer 6

• often forces people to choose predetermined answers thus not showing their true views
• the language used by the researcher may be interpreted differently by the respondents
• data may show trends but often cannot reveal the direction of causation
• response rates can be very low skewing the sample and damaging the representativeness of the study