Qualitative and Survey Research
The study of elections requires systematic methods that can capture both the observable outcomes of electoral processes and the underlying meanings, motivations, and social contexts shaping voter behaviour. Over time, election studies have relied primarily on two broad methodological traditions: qualitative research and survey (quantitative) research. Rather than being mutually exclusive, these approaches are increasingly seen as complementary, each offering distinct insights into electoral politics.
Understanding qualitative and survey research is essential for grasping how scholars analyze elections as complex political and social phenomena.
Elections as Objects of Empirical Study
Elections are not merely moments of voting; they are embedded in:
- Social structures
- Political institutions
- Cultural meanings
- Historical experiences
Studying elections therefore requires methods that can explain how people vote, why they vote, and what elections signify within a democratic system. Qualitative and survey research address these questions from different but interconnected angles.
Qualitative Research in Election Studies
Nature and Purpose of Qualitative Research
Qualitative research focuses on understanding elections through in-depth, interpretive, and context-sensitive analysis. It seeks to explore meanings, narratives, and experiences rather than numerical patterns.
The central concern of qualitative research is not how many people behave in a certain way, but how and why political behaviour takes particular forms.
Methods of Qualitative Election Research
Qualitative election studies employ a range of methods, including:
- In-depth interviews with voters, candidates, and party workers
- Focus group discussions
- Participant observation during election campaigns
- Case studies of specific constituencies or regions
- Analysis of political speeches, manifestos, and media narratives
These methods allow researchers to capture the lived experiences of elections and the symbolic dimensions of political competition.
Contribution of Qualitative Research
Qualitative research contributes to election studies by:
- Revealing voter motivations and perceptions
- Explaining identity-based and issue-based voting
- Understanding campaign strategies and local political dynamics
- Highlighting informal practices such as patronage, mobilization, and persuasion
In societies marked by diversity and inequality, qualitative research is particularly valuable for uncovering voices and experiences that large-scale surveys may overlook.
Limitations of Qualitative Research
Despite its strengths, qualitative research faces certain limitations:
- Findings are often context-specific
- Limited generalizability
- Potential researcher bias
However, these limitations are often addressed through careful research design and triangulation with other methods.
Survey Research in Election Studies
Nature and Purpose of Survey Research
Survey research represents the backbone of modern election studies, especially within the behavioural tradition. It aims to identify patterns and regularities in electoral behaviour by collecting data from large samples of voters.
Survey research is grounded in the assumption that individual attitudes and choices can be systematically measured and analyzed.
Types of Election Surveys
Election studies commonly rely on:
- Pre-election surveys
- Post-election surveys
- Panel surveys tracking the same voters over time
- Exit polls conducted on polling day
These surveys collect data on voting behaviour, party preferences, issue positions, leader evaluations, and socio-demographic characteristics.
Analytical Strengths of Survey Research
Survey research offers several advantages:
- Ability to generalize findings to large populations
- Statistical testing of hypotheses
- Identification of correlations between social factors and voting behaviour
- Comparative analysis across elections and countries
Survey research has been central to developing theories such as party identification, issue voting, and economic voting.
Challenges and Critiques of Survey Research
Despite its prominence, survey research faces important challenges:
- Sampling bias and non-response
- Social desirability effects
- Over-reliance on standardized questions
- Difficulty in capturing deep meanings and emotions
Critics argue that surveys may reduce complex political choices to simplified variables, missing contextual and cultural nuances.
Qualitative vs Survey Research: A False Divide?
The distinction between qualitative and survey research is often presented as a methodological divide, but contemporary election studies increasingly reject this binary.
Qualitative research explains process and meaning, while survey research identifies patterns and distributions. Together, they provide a more complete understanding of electoral politics.
Mixed-Methods Approaches
Many scholars now adopt mixed-methods approaches, combining:
- Survey data to establish broad trends
- Qualitative interviews to interpret those trends
For example, surveys may show declining voter turnout, while qualitative research explains this decline through narratives of disillusionment, exclusion, or distrust.
Relevance in the Global South
In contexts such as India and other post-colonial democracies:
- Qualitative research helps understand caste, religion, ethnicity, and local power structures
- Survey research maps large-scale electoral shifts and party realignments
Together, they capture elections as simultaneously mass events and deeply local experiences.
Methodology and Democratic Understanding
The choice of research method reflects broader assumptions about democracy:
- Survey research aligns with behavioural and positivist traditions
- Qualitative research aligns with interpretive and critical traditions
Both are essential for evaluating elections not only as procedures, but as democratic practices embedded in society.
Conclusion
The study of elections through qualitative and survey research illustrates the richness and complexity of electoral politics. Qualitative methods provide depth, context, and meaning, while survey research offers breadth, comparability, and empirical rigor.
Rather than competing approaches, they represent complementary tools for understanding how elections function, how voters decide, and how democracy operates in practice. A robust study of elections therefore depends on methodological pluralism—recognizing that no single method can fully capture the multifaceted nature of electoral democracy.
References
- Lazarsfeld, Paul et al. The People’s Choice
- Campbell, Angus et al. The American Voter
- Norris, Pippa. Electoral Engineering
- Bryman, Alan. Social Research Methods
- Dalton, Russell J. Citizen Politics
