Numbers only reveal part of the public opinion narrative.  The SSRS Qualitative Practice leverages the latest methodologies to tell the story beyond the numbers.

More to the Story

Numbers tell us a lot, but they don’t uncover everything.

Our surveys provide statistically representative and reliable snapshots of the populations we study, but we know there’s more to the story.

At SSRS, we’re curious about the people behind the statistics:  What shapes their views? What challenges do they face? How do they process what our questions mean?  That’s why we sit down and really listen.

Whether it’s through one-on-one conversations, group discussions, or online boards, we’re passionate about hearing people’s experiences in their own words. Our research helps us understand the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’, adding rich, human context to our survey findings.

We tell the whole story by blending rigorous data with genuine human interactions.  It’s not just about numbers; we want to understand the complexity and depth in people’s lives.

Radical Transparency

We believe clarity and openness are essential to building trust and ensuring our research serves its purpose.  We are radically transparent in our communication with participants and clients.

SSRS maintains an internal team of highly experienced qualitative researchers with combined decades of experience in study design, recruitment, moderation, and analysis.

They are passionate and deeply immerse themselves in the research goals of each study to design, collect, and analyze high-quality data. As leaders in the field, they share findings at conferences, present webinars, and publish whitepapers on the importance of qualitative research in the social sciences.

SSRS carefully recruits participants using the SSRS Opinion Panel, or through one of our many trusted partners, to ensure they are representative of the populations being studied and are prepared to share their insights.

We work closely with Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) to ensure that our participants are well-informed about the study and how we protect their information.

SSRS tailors the qualitative approach to the needs of the study.
SSRS conducts rigorous analysis of qualitative data using a variety of tools.

We generate transcripts using human transcribers, code the source data into meaningful segments, conduct thematic analysis, and provide expert synthesis to transform individual transcripts into engaging and actionable reports that are rich with verbatim quotes. For mixed-method studies, we integrate verbatim quotes into the statistical findings to tell a holistic story.

Conduct Qualitative Research Virtually

SSRS Virtual Insights is a full-service solution for conducting virtual qualitative research. We leverage our nationally representative, probability-based SSRS Opinion Panel to target and recruit high-quality participants for virtual qualitative research studies.

The SSRS Opinion Panel includes detailed panelist profile data with dozens of attributes. This means we can target specialized populations more efficiently, cutting down on the time and costs associated with qualitative recruiting.

Through SSRS Virtual Insights, we recruit and screen panelists based on desired target population then manage the appointment times and reminders.  Our panelists can be asked to participate in a variety of virtual qualitative research methods, including individual interviews, focus groups, and online bulletin boards.

 Qualitative Research is a Great Fit if You Are:

  • Exploring a new or complex topic. Qualitative, exploratory research such as in-depth interviews or focus groups can help to shape hypotheses, explore language, and understand how different population segments think about the topic. These are great tools at the beginning of a research study to help guide the formation of survey questions.
  • Wondering if your respondents will understand your survey questions. Conducting a small number of cognitive interviews just prior to launching a survey helps to make sure your questions, response categories, and survey instructions are going to make sense to all different types of survey respondents. This is a cost-effective, quick tool that can give you peace of mind that your survey is ready for launch.
  • Looking for more oomph from your survey data. Using qualitative research after a survey is conducted, like post-survey in-depth interviews, can give you a deeper understanding of the research topics, provide valuable context behind the survey data, and help you represent the data more richly by sharing respondents’ stories and underlying perspectives.

The Survey Sidekick

SSRS Qualitative research is a valuable companion to survey research because it enables us to tell the story beyond the numbers.

Ready to get qualitative? Let’s review…

  • Every SSRS study is uniquely designed to achieve creative, innovative, and impactful solutions
  • SSRS offers decades of expertise and training in qualitative research methods, but we are constantly innovating based on the latest advancements in the field.
  • We leverage our SSRS Opinion Panel to recruit qualitative participants when possible but also tap into our network of trusted recruitment partners
  • We combine qualitative and survey findings into impactful and actionable reports that provide a rich and complete understanding of the population.