Qualitative data

Definition

Qualitative data consists of non-numerical information that describes qualities or characteristics. It is often used to categorize or label attributes.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Qualitative data is also known as categorical data.
2. It can be divided into nominal and ordinal types.
3. Nominal qualitative data has no natural order, while ordinal qualitative data has a meaningful sequence.
4. Examples include gender, race, and customer satisfaction levels.
5. Qualitative data is often collected through surveys, interviews, and observations.

Review Questions

• What distinguishes nominal from ordinal qualitative data?
• Can qualitative data be numerical? Why or why not?
• Give two examples of how qualitative data might be collected.

Related terms

Quantitative Data:

Quantitative data consists of numerical information that can be measured and quantified.

Nominal Data:

A type of qualitative data with categories that have no natural order or ranking.

Ordinal Data:

A type of qualitative data with categories that have a meaningful order or ranking.