Question

Over the past 16 years, only two building permits for new housing construction have been issued in Sedgwick County, Colorado. This is consistent with the depopulation (particularly of younger persons) and economic diminution that is attributed to a declining rainfall since the 1970s. These are quantitative details. It is unclear how much of the depopulation was due to perceived opportunities elsewhere, to copycat or fad behavior, and to the perceived change in local economic opportunity. Why is qualitative analysis more likely to identify the leading cause of Sedgwick County's out-migration than quantitative methods? Which characteristics of qualitative research most influenced your response to this question?

Answer 1

In this scenario, quantitative methods are likely to yield relationships only among factors hypothesised and identied by researchers beforehand. Considering that there could be multiple factors influencing Sedgwick County’s out-migration, an exploratory study would be much more useful for which a qualitative approach is preferred. Before identifying the leading cause of depopulation, an exploratory study is warranted so as to explore the research question without intending to offer final and conclusive solutions to existing problems. This approach is favoured by the qualitative methodology which does not aim to provide statistically conclusive evidence, but helps us to have a better understanding of the problem.