Approaches to Research
Mass media research, like any other research in social science, is based on qualitative (related to quality of something) and quantitative (related to quantity of something) approaches. They refer to the nature of data to be collected during the research work. Qualitative data is impressionistic whereas quantitative data is numeric, which can be measured. Qualitative research involves an in-depth understanding of consumer (human) behavior and the reasons that govern human behavior. Unlike quantitative research, qualitative research relies on the reasons behind the various aspects of behavior. Simply put, it investigates the ' why ' of decision-making as compared to ' what ', ' where ' and ' when ' of quantitative research. Although there is a debate among the scholars as to which approach may be more reliable, mass media researchers can employ any one or both of them simultaneous...