1/24/22, 11:32 AM Descriptive Research - Characteristics, Methods, Examples, Advantages

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Descriptive Research – Characteristics, Methods, Examples, Advantages

December 29, 2019 By Hitesh Bhasin Tagged With: Market research

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Descriptive research is a type of research that provides an in-depth description of the

phenomenon or population under study. Descriptive research is neither in the category of
qualitative research nor in the class of quantitative research, but it uses the features of
both types of research.

Descriptive research emphasizes what kind of question to be asked in the research study.
The descriptive research provides the answer to the “what” part of a research and does
not answer the questions why/when/how.

Descriptive research is a suitable choice if you want to learn about the trends of a
particular field or the frequency of an event. This research is also an appropriate option
when you do not have any information about the research problem, and primary
information gathering is required to establish a hypothesis. In this article, you will learn
about the characteristics, methods, examples, advantages, and disadvantages of
descriptive research.

Table of Contents 

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1/24/22, 11:32 AM Descriptive Research - Characteristics, Methods, Examples, Advantages

Characteristics of Descriptive Research 

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1. Statistical Outcome
Descriptive research answers the “what” questions in statistical form. As the output is in
emphasizes form, it is easy for the researcher to deduce results and implement them.
Because of this characteristic of descriptive research, it is popularly used in market
researches.

2. The basis for secondary research

The results obtained from descriptive research is in statistical form. Therefore, it can also
be used as secondary data for similar research problems. In addition to this, different
research techniques can be applied to the data for the analysis of various factors of the
research problem.

3. Unrestrained variable
Random variables are used in descriptive research. Therefore, it is not in the hands of
researchers to control the variables of descriptive research. In descriptive research, the
natural behavior of participants is observed to learn about them.

4. Natural setting

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1/24/22, 11:32 AM Descriptive Research - Characteristics, Methods, Examples, Advantages

Descriptive researches are usually conducted in natural settings. For example, you can

distribute questionnaires of surveys among random people, or in an observational
method, you can observe the behavior of people in a particular environment. For
example, if you want to learn about the buying behavior of people, then you can go to a
supermarket and observe people.

5. Cross-sectional study
In descriptive research, different aspects of a single group are studied and compared to
gain a different insight into the group.

Methods of Descriptive Research

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There are three methods of descriptive research

1. Case study method

The case study method refers to the in-depth and detailed study of the subject, person or
case, which is to be studied. A case study involves a formal research method to carry out
the research. Using the outcomes obtained from the case study research hypothesis can
be established, which can be used to expand the horizons of research.

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1/24/22, 11:32 AM Descriptive Research - Characteristics, Methods, Examples, Advantages

However, case study research is not suitable to determine the relationship between cause

and effect as it does not provide accurate results. Moreover, the outcome of the case
study method is relevant to that particular case and similar cases and can’t be
generalised. Case studies are focused on interesting and unusual cases that are complex
and challenging and provide additional information about a particular case.

For example, in a medical case study, researchers study a rare medical case to get more
knowledge about the medical case. Similarly, case study methods are used by scientists
to learn about unusual phenomenon.

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2. Observational Method
Observational research is a type of non-experimental research. Observational research
can be defined as a type of research where the researcher observes the ongoing
behaviors of the subject being studied. Observational research is majorly used in the
marketing and social science fields. In observational research, the researcher finds the
actions of subjects under study in their natural setting.

Observational methods are different from experimental research methods because, in

experimental research methods, an artificial environment is created for the subjects
under study. An observational study can be of two types, naturalistic observation or
participant observation. A naturalistic observation study means the study of subjects
when they are at their natural behavior.

In participant observation, people being observed in the research study are aware of the
observation. They are asked to take part in the observation study. Observational research
methods are suitable for studying the behavior of subjects under the study. However, this

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1/24/22, 11:32 AM Descriptive Research - Characteristics, Methods, Examples, Advantages

research is incapable of providing information about the actual cause of the behaviours of
subjects under study. 

3. Survey Research
Survey research is one of the most popular and easy forms of research to obtain
information or to collect data. A questionnaire is prepared to contain questions related to
the research problem either on paper or in any digital format. These questionnaires are
distributed among random people in the hope of getting their accurate opinion.

The survey research method is popularly used in University researches and business
researches. Survey research is also called primary research and can be used with other
research methods to obtain accurate outcomes. ADVERTISEMENT

Moreover, data collected from survey research can be used as secondary research data
by other researchers.

Examples of descriptive research

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1/24/22, 11:32 AM Descriptive Research - Characteristics, Methods, Examples, Advantages

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Let us take the case of a sports clothing brand. The sports brand wants to set up a
business in selling gym gears. They want to know about in detail about the kind of clothes
people want to wear while exercising in the gym. To get in-depth information about the
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preference of people, they adopted two descriptive methods one is naturalistic
observation, and the other is a survey.

In naturalistic observation, they started observing people at different gyms and silently
learn about the kind of clothes they prefer to wear. To know more about their choices,
they conducted a survey and distributed questionnaire containing questions like How
much would they like to spend on a sports track pant?

What color of gym gear do they prefer to wear while working out? Answer to these
questions will provide them the knowledge that was difficult to obtain through observing.

A restaurant planned to start to serve continental food to its customers. Therefore, to

learn about the choice of people in flavor and taste, they an observation method to learn
about what kind of spreads, herbs, and meat preferred by people.

Advantages of descriptive research

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1/24/22, 11:32 AM Descriptive Research - Characteristics, Methods, Examples, Advantages

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1. Data collected from descriptive research is helpful in important decision-making

because the data is obtained from a large population. Because using the descriptive
survey method, statistical information can be obtained, and analysis of that data can
be made to deduce desired results.
2. A variety of data can be obtained using different descriptive research methods like
surveys, observation, and vase study. These three research methods provide different
type of data which can be used to analysis for a research problem. For example,
using the case study research method can be used to develop a hypothesis about a
research problem.
3. One advantage of descriptive research over other research methods is that it is
cheap and quick to conduct descriptive research. You don’t require having a great
place dedicated only to research. Descriptive research like observation research can
be held in natural settings, and you can distribute surveys to people online or get
them answered by random people at your business place or other public places.
4. Descriptive research provides both quantitative and qualitative data. The variety of
data provides a holistic understanding of the research problem.
5. Descriptive research can be conducted in natural settings. There is no need to have a
designated space to conduct research using any of the descriptive research
methods.
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1/24/22, 11:32 AM Descriptive Research - Characteristics, Methods, Examples, Advantages

Disadvantages of descriptive research 

1. Descriptive methods only provide the answers for “what” and do not answer the why
and how. Therefore, descriptive research methods are not suitable for determining
cause and effect relationships.
2. Descriptive methods mainly depend on the responses of people. There are chances
that people might not act their true selves if they know they are being observed. In
the case of the survey method, there are chances that some people don’t answer the
questions honestly, which makes the output of the descriptive research study invalid.
Because the results derived from this type of data will not be accurate.
3. Another problem associated with descriptive research is the halo effect. A researcher
might get partial if he knows the participant personally. The observations made in
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this way would be considered invalid.
4. In descriptive research methods, participants are picked randomly. The randomness
of the sample can’t represent the whole population accurately.

Related Posts:
1. What is Research Design? Type of Research Designs

2. Observation Methods – Definition, Types, Examples, Advantages

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1/24/22, 11:32 AM Descriptive Research - Characteristics, Methods, Examples, Advantages

3. Questionnaire: Definition, Characteristics & Advantages 

4. Primary Research – Meaning, Process and Advantages

5. 7 Steps To Conduct A Sample Survey

6. Qualitative Data Analysis – Importance & Types

7. How to write a Research Question? Types and Tips

8. 11 Types Of Quantitative Research options that exist for Market

Researchers
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9. Importance of Quantitative Research

10. Desk Research: Definition, Importance and Advantages

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About Hitesh Bhasin

I love writing about the latest in marketing & advertising. I am a serial
entrepreneur & I created Marketing91 because I wanted my readers to stay ahead
in this hectic business world.

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