Reporting qualitative data from market research studies involves transforming rich, unstructured data into a clear, useful narrative. Researchers often face the challenge of completing this task swiftly—sometimes faster than ideal. It’s no wonder we are always looking for ways to expedite the process while also, of course, trying to avoid harmful shortcuts.
One trap to avoid is "faux quantifying"—the inappropriate presentation of qualitative data in a quantitative format.
For instance, imagine conducting 12 in-depth interviews (IDIs) where nine participants cite a significant barrier to purchasing electric vehicles (EVs)—let’s say uncertainty about the true annual cost of ownership. The tempting shortcut would be to report that “75% of customers are deterred from buying an EV due to total cost of ownership uncertainty.”
Using a percentage in this way inaccurately quantifies the data, making it appear more statistically representative than it is. This can lead readers to make incorrect assumptions; they see “75%” and might assume the data comes from a survey, potentially leading to misuse (imagine a company making a $100M decision based on the responses of just 12 people!).
We can still summarize qualitative results clearly—just not with percentages.
👉 Watch now for 60-seconds of qualitative research reporting tips.
Avoiding Unintended Misuse of Qualitative Data
How do research insiders simplify without quantifying? One effective strategy is to standardize on key summarization terms. Describing qualitative results with descriptive labels conveys the proportional prominence of themes directionally without resorting to percentages. If in a given report we use these labels consistently (and define them at first mention), our readers will be grateful for the simplicity AND the clarity. This method respects the exploratory nature of qualitative studies and avoids unintentionally misleading stakeholders.
In this case, we might have defined the descriptive labels in our Scope & Methodology section. Below are two potential ways we could have categorized and tallied responses.
- Labels Summarizing Attitudes or Behaviors Mentioned by Research Participants.:
- Never Mentioned: No mentions at all.
- Rarely Mentioned: Mentioned by fewer than 25% of participants.
- Frequently Observed: Mentioned by 25% to 50% of participants.
- Commonly Observed: Mentioned by 51% to 90% of participants.
- Nearly Universal: Mentioned by more than 90% of participants.
- Labels Based on Tallies of Cases Where an Attitude or Behavior was Observed:
- Not Detected: 0% of cases.
- Sporadically Observed: Less than 20% of cases.
- Frequently Observed: 20% to 50% of cases.
- Broadly Observed: More than 50% of cases.
These labels help maintain the integrity of qualitative reporting and ensure that findings are communicated effectively and appropriately.
Be sure to check out our related 60-second video here for a related example: The Qual Reporting Mistake Everyone Hates to See
