Quantitative Research

Quantitative research analyzes survey responses to identify overall trends.

By distributing questionnaires to respondents and analyzing their answers, this method is well-suited to capturing overall trends and statistically testing hypotheses.

Quantitative Research Methods

AtGlobal provides the following quantitative research methods (some methods may not be available in certain countries).

Online Survey

An online survey page is created, and respondents submit their answers via the internet. Because it can be conducted quickly and at relatively low cost, this is the most commonly used type of quantitative research.

Mail Survey

Printed questionnaires are mailed to respondents, who return their responses by postal mail. This enables inclusion of respondents who do not have internet access.

Home-Use Test (HUT)

Samples of new or improved products are mailed to respondents’ homes for tasting, testing, or trial use, followed by evaluation through questionnaires.

Telephone Survey

The questionnaire is sent in advance by internet or mail, and responses are then collected via telephone interviews. This is effective when you want to capture richer, open-ended feedback that is difficult to obtain through written responses alone.

Additional Methods

We also offer central-location tests (CLT), where participants visit a designated venue to provide evaluations, and intercept interviews conducted at locations such as shopping districts, train stations, or airports.

Strengths of Quantitative Research

Because it relies on questionnaire responses, the burden on participants can be reduced. With online or mail surveys, respondents can answer at a convenient time from home, which is another advantage.

This method is well-suited for capturing overall patterns and trends. By gathering data at a certain scale and quantifying the results, it enables evidence-based decision-making.

Limitations of Quantitative Research

In principle, it only yields responses to the questions included in the questionnaire. This makes it difficult to probe deeper into answers or capture respondents’ “real voices.” (This limitation can sometimes be overcome by combining it with telephone surveys.)

Small-scale surveys cannot reliably capture overall trends, so it is necessary to conduct them at an appropriate scale. Additionally, some additional effort is required to improve response and completion rates.

Key Considerations When Conducting Quantitative Research

As noted above, quantitative research has both strengths and weaknesses. It is essential to carefully consider the true research objectives before designing a research plan.

In overseas markets, differences in location and economic status of participants can influence results even more significantly than in Japan. Particularly in marketing research, multifaceted indicators such as SES (Social Economic Status) and SEC (Social Economic Class)—including occupation, education level, and ethnicity—should be used to properly select participants.

Questionnaires created in Japanese for Japanese respondents cannot always be directly translated for use in other countries. For example, in countries where diversity is widely recognized, even the question of “gender” may require a third option. (In the U.S. version of Facebook, for instance, users can choose from more than 50 gender options.) It is therefore critical to accurately understand the local context and properly localize the questionnaire.

Although questionnaire-based research is generally the least burdensome method for participants, additional measures are often required to improve collection and valid response rates. Since respondents receive large volumes of emails and postal mail, surveys may need eye-catching subject lines or design. Offering respondents some form of incentive can also be effective.