Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) Practice Exam

Which of the following represents the "soft data" in evaluations?

1. Hard data

2. Qualitative data

3. Quantitative data

4. Statistical data

The correct answer is: Qualitative data

The correct answer is qualitative data, which is typically referred to as "soft data" in evaluations. Qualitative data encompasses subjective information that provides insights into participants' feelings, experiences, and perceptions. It can include open-ended survey responses, interviews, and focus group discussions, which offer deeper context and understanding about the event or experience being evaluated. This type of data is valuable because it captures the nuances of participant sentiments that quantitative data may not fully reflect. In contrast, hard data, quantitative data, and statistical data generally involve numerical metrics and objective measures. These types of data focus on statistical analysis and can indicate trends and patterns, but they do not capture the subjective nuances that qualitative data provides. Hence, qualitative data plays a critical role in evaluations by adding depth to the analysis.