Is qualitative research really “less rigorous”? Let’s settle this once and for all
Have you ever found yourself working on your qualitative PhD thinking…
“Have I got enough interviews?”
“Can I say that most of my participants felt this way?”
“Is my research biased?”
“Should I be using stats to sound more legit?”
If so, I hear you! I’ve been there.
There’s this sneaky, unspoken assumption that quantitative research is real research, and that qualitative work is somehow softer, less rigorous, or not quite enough.
It’s rubbish. And today, we’re going to talk about why.
Different questions need different tools
Let’s start simple: qualitative and quantitative research ask different questions, so of course they use different methods.
Quantitative research asks:
How much?
How many?
Is there a relationship between X and Y?
Can this be generalised?
It’s about measurement, testing, prediction.
Qualitative research asks:
How do people experience this?
What does this mean to them?
What’s really going on beneath the surface?
It’s about meaning, understanding, complexity, and context.
So if you’re doing qualitative work, you’re not doing the “low-tech” version of quant. You’re doing something entirely different, and just as valuable.
Numbers aren’t better. They’re just numbers
If you’ve ever felt like your work is “less than” because it doesn’t involve SPSS, p-values, or bar charts, let me say this clearly: not every important question can be answered with numbers.
Grief. Identity. Inequality. Belonging. Stigma. Culture.
Try putting those on a Likert scale.
Real rigour is wrestling with messy, contradictory data. Sitting with discomfort. Interpreting complexity without flattening it. That’s what you’re doing. And it counts.
Objectivity vs reflexivity: the real difference
Quantitative researchers often aim for objectivity, and that makes sense in contexts where measurement and distance matter.
But in qualitative research, we acknowledge that we are part of the process.
Your background, your experiences, your position, all of that shapes the way you interpret your data. That’s not a flaw. That’s something you reflect on, write about, and take seriously.
Reflexivity is not the opposite of rigour, it is rigour.
You’re not pretending you don’t exist in the process.
You’re showing how your presence shaped it, thoughtfully, transparently, honestly.
What does “quality” even mean?
If you’re judging your qualitative research by quantitative standards, no wonder it feels stressful.
Let’s make something clear:
You don’t need a big sample.
You’re not aiming for generalisability.
You’re not chasing statistical significance.
Instead, you’re aiming for:
Richness and depth
Thematic saturation (you’re hearing the same patterns come up again and again)
Trustworthiness (your claims are grounded in the data, and you show your process clearly)
That’s real quality. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
So where does the inferiority complex come from?
The “quant is better” myth has deep roots. Academia has long favoured methods that look scientific, standardised, and measurable.
But qualitative research? It looks at human complexity.
These are not things you can reduce to bar charts.
If your research doesn’t involve T-tests or confidence intervals, good. That probably means you’re asking the kinds of questions that need qualitative tools.
What this means for your PhD
Don’t judge your qualitative research by quantitative rules.
You’re not supposed to be objective. You’re supposed to be reflexive.
Your sample isn’t meant to be big. It’s meant to be rich.
You’re not doing soft research. You’re doing substantial research.
So stop second-guessing yourself. You are doing a different kind of thinking. A deep, meaningful kind. And the world needs more of that.
Still feeling unsure? That’s okay. Doubt shows you care about doing a good job.
But if you’ve been downplaying your research because it’s “just qualitative,” I hope this helped flip that script.
Because your work matters. And you’ve got what it takes.
Want to read more of my stuff! Check out my other blogposts on navigating the messy and the magical world of qualitative research by clicking here!