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How to Write Quantitative Research Questions: Types With Examples

How to Write Quantitative Research Questions: Types With Examples

For research to be effective, it becomes crucial to properly formulate the quantitative research questions in a correct way. Otherwise, you will not get the answers you were looking for.

Has it ever happened that you conducted a quantitative research study and found out the results you were expecting are quite different from the actual results?

This could happen due to many factors like the unpredictable nature of respondents, errors in calculation, research bias, etc. However, your quantitative research usually does not provide reliable results when questions are not written correctly.

We get it! Structuring the quantitative research questions can be a difficult task.

Hence, in this blog, we will share a few bits of advice on how to write good quantitative research questions. We will also look at different types of quantitative research questions along with their examples.

Let’s start:

How to Write Quantitative Research Questions?

When you want to obtain actionable insight into the trends and patterns of the research topic to make sense of it, quantitative research questions are your best bet.

Being objective in nature, these questions provide you with detailed information about the research topic and help in collecting quantifiable data that can be easily analyzed. This data can be generalized to the entire population and help make data-driven and sound decisions.

Respondents find it easier to answer quantitative survey questions than qualitative questions. At the same time, researchers can also analyze them quickly using various statistical models.

However, when it comes to writing the quantitative research questions, one can get a little overwhelmed as the entire study depends on the types of questions used.

There is no “one good way” to prepare these questions. However, to design well-structured quantitative research questions, you can follow the 4-steps approach given below:

 

1. Select the Type of Quantitative Question

The first step is to determine which type of quantitative question you want to add to your study. There are three types of quantitative questions:

  1. Descriptive
  2. Comparative 
  3. Relationship-based

This will help you choose the correct words and phrases while constructing the question. At the same time, it will also assist readers in understanding the question correctly.

2. Identify the Type of Variable

The second step involves identifying the type of variable you are trying to measure, manipulate, or control. Basically, there are two types of variables:

  1. Independent variable (a variable that is being manipulated)
  2. Dependent variable (outcome variable)
quantitative questions examples

If you plan to use descriptive research questions, you have to deal with a number of dependent variables. However, where you plan to create comparative or relationship research questions, you will deal with both dependent and independent variables.

3. Select the Suitable Structure

The next step is determining the structure of the research question. It involves:

  • Identifying the components of the question. It involves the type of dependent or independent variable and a group of interest (the group from which the researcher tries to conclude the population).
  • The number of different components used. Like, as to how many variables and groups are being examined.
  • Order in which these are presented. For example, the independent variable before the dependent variable or vice versa.

4. Draft the Complete Research Question

The last step involves identifying the problem or issue that you are trying to address in the form of complete quantitative survey questions. Also, make sure to build an exhaustive list of response options to make sure your respondents select the correct response. If you miss adding important answer options, then the ones chosen by respondents may not be entirely true.

Want to create a quantitative research survey hassle-free? Explore our library of 1,000,000+ readymade questions.

Types of Quantitative Research Questions With Examples

Quantitative research questions are generally used to answer the “who” and “what” of the research topic. For quantitative research to be effective, it is crucial that the respondents are able to answer your questions concisely and precisely. With that in mind, let’s look in greater detail at the three types of formats you can use when preparing quantitative market research questions.

1. Descriptive 

Descriptive research questions are used to collect participants’ opinions about the variable that you want to quantify. It is the most effortless way to measure the particular variable (single or multiple variables) you are interested in on a large scale. Usually, descriptive research questions begin with “ how much,” “how often,” “what percentage,” “what proportion,” etc.

Examples of descriptive research questions include:

Questions Variable  Group
1. How much rice do Indians consume per month? Rice intake monthly Indians
2. How often do you use mobile apps for shopping purposes? Mobile app used a. Smartphone users
b. Shopping enthusiasts
3. What is the preferred choice of cuisine for Americans? Cuisine Americans
4. How often do students aged between 10-15 years use Instagram monthly? Monthly use of Instagram Students aged between 10-15
5. How often do middle-class adults go on vacation yearly? Vacation Middle-class adults 

2. Comparative

Comparative research questions help you identify the difference between two or more groups based on one or more variables. In general, a comparative research question is used to quantify one variable; however, you can use two or more variables depending on your market research objectives.

Comparative research questions examples include:

Questions Variable  Groups
6. What is the difference in duration spent on social media between people aged 15- 20 and 20-25? Time spent on social media Group 1: People within the age group 15-20
Group 2: People within the age group 20-25
7. What is the difference in the daily protein intake between men and women in America? Daily protein intake Group 1: Men based in America
Group 2: Women based in America
8. What is the difference between watching web series weekly between a child and an adult? Watching web series weekly Group 1: Child
Group 2: Adult
9. What is the difference in attitude towards sports between Millennial adults and older people born before 1981?   Attitude towards sports Group 1: Millennial adults
Group 2:  Older people born before 1981
10. What is the difference in the usage of Facebook between male and female American university students? Usage of Facebook Group 1: Male American university students
Group 2: Female American university students

3. Relationship-based

Relationship research questions are used to identify trends, causal relationships, or associations between two or more variables. It is not vital to distinguish between causal relationships, trends, or associations while using these types of questions. These questions begin with “What is the relationship” between independent and dependent variables, amongst or between two or more groups.

Relationship-based quantitative questions examples include:

Questions Independent Variable  Dependent Variable Group
11. What is the relationship between gender and perspective towards comedy movies amongst Americans? Perspective Gender Americans
12. What is the relationship between job motivation and pay level amongst US residents? Job motivation Pay level US residents
13. What is the relationship between salary and shopping habits among the women of Australia? Salary Shopping habits Australia
14. What is the relationship between gender and fast food preference in young adults? Gender Fast food Young Adults
15. What is the relationship between a college degree and a job position in corporates? College degree Job Position Corporates

Ready to Write Your Quantitative Research Questions?

So, there you have it. It was all about quantitative research question types and their examples. By now, you must have figured out a way to write quantitative research questions for your survey to collect actionable customer feedback.

Now, the only thing you need is a good survey maker tool, like ProProfs Survey Maker, that will glide your process of designing and conducting your surveys. You also get access to various survey question types, both qualitative and quantitative, that you can add to any kind of survey along with professionally-designed survey templates.

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About the author

Emma David is a seasoned market research professional with 8+ years of experience. Having kick-started her journey in research, she has developed rich expertise in employee engagement, survey creation and administration, and data management. Emma believes in the power of data to shape business performance positively. She continues to help brands and businesses make strategic decisions and improve their market standing through her understanding of research methodologies.