Social Research – Definition, Types and Methods
Social Research
Social Research: Definition
Social Research is a method used by social scientists and researchers to learn about people and
societies so that they can design products/services that cater to various needs of the people.
Different socio-economic groups belonging to different parts of a county think differently. Various
aspects of human behavior need to be addressed to understand their thoughts and feedback about
the social world, which can be done using Social Research. Any topic can trigger social research –
new feature, new market trend or an upgrade in old technology.
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Social Research is conducted by following a systematic plan of action which includes qualitative and
quantitative observation methods.
Qualitative methods rely on direct communication with members of a market, observation, text
analysis. The results of this method are focused more on being accurate rather than generalizing to
the entire population.
Quantitative methods use statistical analysis techniques to evaluate data collected via surveys, polls
or questionnaires.
Social Research contains elements of both these methods to analyze a range of social occurrences
such as an investigation of historical sites, census of the country, detailed analysis of research
conducted to understand reasons for increased reports of molestation in the country etc.
A survey to monitor happiness in a respondent population is one of the most widely used
applications of social research. The happiness survey template can be used by researchers an
organizations to gauge how happy a respondent is and the things that can be done to increase
happiness in that respondent. ypes of Social Research
There are four main types of Social Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Research, Primary and
Secondary Research.
Qualitative Research: Qualitative Research is defined as a method to collect data via open-
ended and conversational discussions, There are five main qualitative research methods-
ethnographic research, focus groups, one-on-one online interview, content analysis and case study
research. Usually, participants are not taken out of their ecosystem for qualitative data collection to
gather information in real-time which helps in building trust. Researchers depend on multiple
methods to gather qualitative data for complex issues.
Quantitative Research: Quantitative Research is an extremely informative source of data
collection conducted via mediums such as surveys, polls, and questionnaires. The gathered data can
be analyzed to conclude numerical or statistical results. There are four distinct quantitative research
methods: survey research, correlational research, causal research and experimental research. This
research is carried out on a sample that is representative of the target market usually using close-
ended questions and data is presented in tables, charts, graphs etc.
For example, A survey can be conducted to understand Climate change awareness among the
general population. Such a survey will give in-depth information about people’s perception about
climate change and also the behaviors that impact positive behavior. Such a questionnaire will enable
the researcher to understand what needs to be done to create more awareness among the public.
Primary Research: Primary Research is conducted by the researchers themselves. There are
a list of questions that a researcher intends to ask which need to be customized according to the
target market. These questions are sent to the respondents via surveys, polls or questionnaires so
that analyzing them becomes convenient for the researcher. Since data is collected first-hand, it’s
highly accurate according to the requirement of research.
For example: There are tens of thousands of deaths and injuries related to gun violence in the
United States. We keep hearing about people carrying weapons attacking general public in the news.
There is quite a debate in the American public as to understand if possession of guns is the cause to
this. Institutions related to public health or governmental organizations are carrying out studies to
find the cause. A lot of policies are also influenced by the opinion of the general population and gun
control policies are no different. Hence a gun control questionnaire can be carried out to gather data
to understand what people think about gun violence, gun control, factors and effects of possession
of firearms. Such a survey can help these institutions to make valid reforms on the basis of the data
gathered.
Secondary Research: Secondary Research is a method where information has already
been collected by research organizations or marketers. Newspapers, online communities, reports,
audio-visual evidence etc. fall under the category of secondary data. After identifying the topic of
research and research sources, a researcher can collect existing information available from the noted
sources. They can then combine all the information to compare and analyze it to derive conclusions.
