How do qualitative and quantitative research differ?

Qualitative research is fundamentally different from quantitative research because it focuses on understanding the underlying motivations, opinions, and behaviors of individuals. It aims to gather in-depth insights and subjective perspectives through methods such as interviews, focus groups, and open-ended surveys. This type of research seeks to provide context and meaning to the data by exploring the nuances of human experience.

On the other hand, quantitative research is centered around numerical data and statistical analysis. It typically involves structured methods such as surveys with fixed-response options, experiments, or observational studies that produce quantifiable results. The objective of quantitative research is to identify patterns, relationships, and trends that can be statistically analyzed to draw conclusions.

The substantive distinction lies in the type of information each approach seeks to uncover: qualitative research is geared towards capturing the richness of human experience and understanding complex phenomena, while quantitative research aims to measure and quantify elements of these phenomena. Thus, the correct answer highlights this difference in focus by stating that qualitative research concentrates on opinions, whereas quantitative research is centered on statistical data.