Research methods
What Is Qualitative Data?
Published 29 June 2026
Qualitative data is descriptive, non-numerical information — words, images, observations, or recordings — that captures qualities, meanings, and experiences rather than amounts. It's the raw material of qualitative research: an interview transcript, a field note, an open-ended survey answer, a photograph used as evidence.
This guide covers the definition, the main types, real examples, and how qualitative data differs from quantitative data.
Definition
Qualitative data describes qualities — what something is like, how it's experienced, or why it happens — rather than measuring how much of it there is. It's typically collected through interviews, observation, open-ended questions, or document review, and analysed by reading, coding, and interpreting rather than calculating.
Types of qualitative data
Text
Interview transcripts, open-ended survey responses, diaries, documents, social media posts.
Observations / field notes
A researcher's written record of behaviour, interactions, or settings as they happen.
Audio and video
Recorded interviews, focus groups, or naturally occurring conversation, often transcribed before analysis.
Images and artefacts
Photographs, drawings, physical objects, or documents used as visual or material evidence.
Some methods texts also describe nominal data (named categories with no order, e.g. eye colour) and ordinal data (ranked categories, e.g. satisfaction levels: low/medium/high) as categorical qualitative data — distinct from the unstructured text and image data most qualitative researchers work with day to day.
Examples of qualitative data
- An interview transcript where a participant describes how a diagnosis changed their daily routine.
- An open-ended survey comment: "the onboarding process felt confusing and rushed."
- Field notes from observing a classroom: "students hesitated before raising hands; teacher waited ~5 seconds before calling on someone."
- A focus group recording discussing attitudes toward a new policy.
- A photograph submitted as part of a visual ethnography study.
Qualitative data vs quantitative data
| Dimension | Qualitative data | Quantitative data |
|---|---|---|
| Form | Words, images, recordings | Numbers, counts, measurements |
| Captures | Meaning, experience, context | Amount, frequency, magnitude |
| Collected via | Interviews, observation, open questions | Surveys, experiments, instruments |
| Analysed by | Reading, coding, interpreting (e.g. thematic analysis) | Calculating, testing (statistics) |
For a full breakdown with worked examples and a side-by-side comparison, see qualitative vs quantitative research.
Analysing qualitative data
Once you have qualitative data, the next step is choosing an analysis method — most commonly thematic analysis or grounded theory. Both involve systematically coding the data, then grouping codes into themes or categories that answer your research question.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
What is qualitative data in simple terms?
Qualitative data is descriptive, non-numerical information — words, images, observations, or recordings — that captures qualities, opinions, or experiences rather than quantities. Examples include interview transcripts, open-ended survey answers, and field notes.
What are the 4 types of qualitative data?
Most researchers group qualitative data into four sources: text (interviews, documents, open-ended responses), observations (field notes, behaviour), audio/video (recordings of interviews or focus groups), and images (photographs, diagrams, artefacts). Some methods texts also describe nominal and ordinal data as 'categorical' qualitative data.
What is an example of qualitative data?
An interview transcript where a participant describes how they felt during a stressful event is qualitative data. So is an open-ended survey comment like 'the onboarding process felt confusing', a researcher's field notes from an observation, or a photograph used as visual evidence in a study.
Is qualitative data the same as qualitative research?
No. Qualitative data is the raw material — words, images, recordings. Qualitative research is the methodology used to collect and analyse that data (e.g. thematic analysis, grounded theory) in order to answer a research question.
Can qualitative data be turned into numbers?
Yes, partially. Researchers sometimes quantify qualitative data — for example, counting how often a theme appears (content analysis) — but this doesn't make the underlying data quantitative. It remains descriptive in origin; only the summary becomes numeric.