Focus Groups Focus groups are qualitative research.
Qualitative research allows for in-depth exploration into people s feelings and beliefs.
Essentially, focus groups are used to uncover why people feel the way they do about certain issues and how those feelings influence their behavior, opinions, attitude and perceptions. Because focus groups are qualitative in nature, numbers and percentages should not be projected to the population as a whole. Additionally, the normally small sample size of focus groups and the fact that the questions asked vary from group to group make the results appropriate for general impressions rather than for statistically reliable results. A focus group is a discussion among approximately ten individuals, typically lasting 1 to 2 hours. A trained moderator guides the focus group discussion by introducing new topics and questions to encourage maximum participation from each individual.