What type of data does qualitative research typically focus on?

Qualitative research is primarily concerned with understanding human experiences, behaviors, and social phenomena through detailed, descriptive, and in-depth exploration. This type of research emphasizes collecting non-numerical data, which allows researchers to capture the complexity and richness of social contexts.

Descriptive and in-depth data refers to the narratives, themes, and meanings that emerge from interviews, observations, or textual analysis, enabling researchers to delve into the subjective experiences of individuals or groups. This approach stands in contrast to quantitative methods, which focus on quantifying data and often use statistical analysis to draw conclusions based on numerical evidence.

By prioritizing qualitative data, researchers can provide a more nuanced understanding of social realities, thus allowing for insights that might be missed through purely quantitative approaches. This focus on depth over breadth is a key characteristic of qualitative research.