Collecting Data
Qualitative and quantitative data
The community consultation processes should include the collection of both Quantitative and Qualitative Data.
Quantitative data could be a general audit, with questionnaires sent to all residents of a small community, or a 10% random group, if working with a larger population.
Quantitative data is about number crunching and using your statistics to identify issues and assist in decision making.
Quantitative questionnaires use closed questions, so that the responses are limited in scope and can be collated easily. The ABS is a good example of the use of quantitative data.
You will usually conduct an audit as part of your planning process, in order to find out how many cultural resources are in your community, township or city. For example libraries, art galleries, museums, craft outlets, the different cultural groups, voluntary groups, churches, artsworkers and other creative industries.
You can also use questionnaires for qualitative data, using open questions for expansive responses. Qualitative data adds the stories, the dreams, aspirations and personal reflections of the community to the facts revealed by the quantitative data.
Quantitative data will tell you how many libraries there are, but the Qualitative data would explore how people are using their library, what draws them to the library (or not) and how the library could improve its facilities.
When consultations are conducted, particularly for developing a cultural plan, cultural mapping tools are used.
Resources
How to write a questionnaire - www.ssdd.bcu.ac.uk/learner/writingguides/1.05.htm