Which classification applies to an open-ended intake question asking why the patient selected this ER?

• A. Quantitative
• B. Qualitative
• C. Both qualitative and quantitative
• D. Cannot determine

Answer: (B)

This question tests the idea that open-ended responses are qualitative data. Open-ended questions invite explanations, motivations, and feelings expressed in words, not numbers, so the information is descriptive and non-numeric. That makes it qualitative data, suited to themes and content analysis. It isn’t quantitative because there’s no measured quantity or numeric scale in the response. It isn’t both, since the single open-ended item doesn’t provide numeric data, though you could later code responses into categories for counts; the fundamental type of this item is qualitative.