Title: Introduction to quantitative analysis
Course: UGQuants (SSPS) > Section: Introduction to Quantitative Analysis

Introduction to quantitative analysis

What is quantitative analysis?
Quantitative analysis in social and political science is an approach that uses numerical data to explore, address and develop social and political questions, issues, problems and ideas. Note that numbers are the means not the end of this approach. In other words, we do not seek to count things and generate numerical data for its own sake, but in order to help us illuminate the social and political world. It is the questions, issues, problems and ideas that are most important. The significance of the numbers lies only in their capacity to help us explore, address and develop these questions, issues, problems and ideas.
Is quantitative analysis maths?
The course does, inevitably, involve working with numbers, but it does not require you to ‘do’ mathematics. It does sometimes introduce some (fairly simple) formulae, but it does not require you to memorise any of these. However, you will get more out of the course if you have at least a basic understanding of simple mathematical procedures and grasp the principles behind the formulae, even if you cannot remember the formulae themselves. The course aims to help and support you in both these respects.
Is quantitative analysis statistics?
Although in this course we sometimes use the word ‘statistics’, we mainly use the term ‘quantitative analysis’. We don’t do this to try to pretend that this is not a course about statistics: in truth, the course could just as easily have been called something like ‘Introductory Statistics for Social and Political Science’. We do this in order to stress that what we are encouraging is analysis of the social and political world, whereas the word ‘statistics’ (somewhat unfairly) often invokes images of the manipulation and presentation of numbers for their own sake. Our focus is firmly on what numbers represent and what they can tell us about the social and political world.
What is qualitative analysis?
As the name suggests, qualitative data analysis is based on qualitative, that means non-numerical data, such as interview transcripts, field notes, documents, images, videos, cultural artefacts, music and many other sources. While with the right sampling methods, quantitative data may enable us to make generalisable statements about a large number of people, qualitative data can enhance the depth of our understanding and can allow us to examine the meaning of a person's response or an observed action. Qualitative data analysis is thus often used to explore areas that we as yet know little about.