Qualitative and quantitative research

•   For our latest project for Matt we had to look at qualitative and quantitative research. The media project I have chosen to do is Super-size me about all the fat people in America and how bad the fast food is for your health and how fat you can get. The film is an American documentary film directed by Morgan Spurlock. The film follows him eating at McDonald’s for a total of 24 days. The qualitative information you get from the film are the good facts and the quantitative information you get are the bad things about the film. Here are some facts: Each day, 1 in 4 Americans visits a fast food restaurant. That is a bad side to the film because people who visit fast food places on a regular basis, it is bad for their health. However, there is a good side to this because the food company McDonald’s makes millions by ruining people’s health. Another fact is that McDonald's feeds more than 46 million people a day - more than the entire population of Spain. I think this is a bad thing if 46 million people eat McDonald’s think of all the damage they are doing to their health. Another fact is that the most eaten vegetable in America is potatoes that make French fries. This fact is not a shock for most Americans. Another fact is that you would have to walk for seven hours straight to burn off a Super Sized Coke, fries and Big Mac. Personally I think this information is a qualitative because it is good as it makes you realise that what you have to do to actually burn the fat off. A bad fact about McDonalds is that left unabated, obesity will surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable death in America. This is a horrible quantitative fact and again not shocking for Americans. Another fact is that obesity has been linked to: Hypertension, Coronary Heart Disease, Adult Onset Diabetes, Stroke, Gall Bladder Disease, Osteoarthritis, Sleep Apnea, Respiratory Problems, Endometrial, Breast, Prostate and Colon Cancers, Dyslipidemia, steatohepatitis, insulin resistance, breathlessness, Asthma, Hyperuricaemia, reproductive hormone abnormalities, polycystic ovarian syndrome, impaired fertility and lower back pain but with all the health warnings you get, people still go and eat lots of fast food and the companies make millions from it. Another fact is that the average child sees 10,000 TV advertisements per year which is great for the companies who are advertising. I think it is a good idea to sell and promote your product. Another fact is that only seven items on McDonald's entire menu contain no sugar. I think this is a qualitative for McDonalds because have no salt or sugar in a least 8 of their items. Another fact is that Willard Scott was the first Ronald McDonald - he was fired for being too fat. I am not too sure about this one meaning I am not sure whether this is a good or a bad thing as their food does make people fat. Another fact we are told is that eating fast food may be dangerous to your health. I think “Well done Sherlock Holmes” as everyone knows this. Another fact that I think is pretty bad, meaning it’s a quantitative, is that before most children can speak they can recognize McDonald's. Another fact is that McDonald's represents 43% of the total U.S. fast food market, not surprisingly as it is the biggest fast food company in the world.