Correlational research

Date published May 1, 2019 by Shona McCombes. Date updated: September 19, 2019

A correlational research design measures a relationship between two variables without the
researcher controlling either of them. It aims to find out whether there is either:

Positive correlation Both variables change in the As height increases, weight also increases
same direction

Negative correlation The variables change in As coffee consumption increases, tirednessdecreases

opposite directions

Zero correlation There is no relationship Coffee consumption is not correlated with height
between the variables

When to use a correlational research design

Correlational research is a type of descriptive research (as opposed to experimental research).
There are two main situations where you might choose to do correlational research.

1. You want to find out if there is a relationship between two variables, but you
don’t expect to find a causal relationship between them.

Examples
You want to know if people who have higher incomes are more likely to be vegetarian. You
don’t think that income causes vegetarianism (or vice versa), but finding a relationship could
lead to a better understanding of the factors that influence or limit people’s dietary choices.

You want to know if there is any correlation between the number of children people have and
which political party they vote for. You don’t think having more children causes people to
vote differently — it’s more likely that both are influenced by other variables such as age,
religion, ideology and socioeconomic status. But a strong correlation could be useful for
making predictions about voting patterns.

2. You think there is a causal relationship between two variables, but it is

impractical or unethical to conduct experimental research that manipulates one
of the variables.

Examples
You hypothesize that passive smoking causes asthma in children. You can’t do an experiment
to test the hypothesis — it would be unethical to deliberately expose some children to passive
smoking. But you can do a correlational study to find out if children whose parents smoke are
more likely to have asthma than children whose parents don’t smoke.
You want to test the theory that greenhouse gas emissions cause global warming. It is not
practically possible to do an experiment that controls global emissions over time, but through
observation and large-scale data analysis you can show a strong correlation that supports the
theory.

How to do correlational research

There are many different methods you can use in correlational research. As long as you don’t
manipulate any of the variables, it doesn’t matter where, when or how you collect the data.

To test for correlation, you will statistically analyze the quantitative data you have gathered.
Correlations can be strong or weak.

The most common methods for this type of research include surveys, observations and
archival data. Academic research often combines various methods. It’s important to carefully
choose and plan your methods to ensure the reliability and validity of your results.

Surveys
A simple way to research the relationship between variables is through surveys and
questionnaires. You can conduct surveys online, by mail, by phone, or in person. You ask
respondents questions related to the variables you are interested in, and then statistically
analyze the responses.

 Quick and flexible

 Responses may not always be honest or accurate
Example

To find out if there is a relationship between vegetarianism and income, you send out a
questionnaire about diet to a sample of people from different income brackets. You
statistically analyze the responses to determine whether vegetarians generally have higher
incomes.

Naturalistic observation
This is a type of field research, where you gather data about a behaviour or phenomenon in its
natural environment without intervening.

This method often involves recording, counting, describing and categorizing actions and
events. Naturalistic observation can include both qualitative and quantitative elements, but to
find correlation, you focus on data that can be analyzed quantitatively (e.g. frequencies,
durations, scales and amounts).

 Eliminates researcher influence and respondent inaccuracy that might affect the
variables
 Can be time-consuming and unpredictable
Example

To find out if there is a correlation between gender and class participation, you observe
college seminars, note the frequency and duration of students’ contributions, and categorize
them based on gender. You statistically analyze the data to determine whether men are more
likely to speak up in class than women.

Archival data
Instead of collecting original data, you can also use data that has already been collected for a
different purpose, such as official records, polls, or previous studies.

 Allows access to large amounts of data to observe changes over time or space
 The data may be unreliable or incomplete
Example

To find out if working hours are related to mental health, you use official national statistics,
health records and scientific studies from several different countries to find data on average
working hours and rates of mental illness. You statistically analyze the data to see if countries
that work fewer hours have better mental health outcomes.
What can proofreading do for your paper?
Scribbr editors not only correct grammar and spelling mistakes, but also strengthen your
writing by making sure your paper is free of vague language, redundant words and awkward
phrasing.

See editing example

Correlation and causation

It’s important to remember that correlation does not imply causation. Just because you find
a correlation between two things doesn’t mean that one of them causes the other.
Example

You find a strong negative correlation between working hours and mental health: in countries
with lower average working hours, people report better mental health. However, this doesn’t
prove that lower working hours cause an improvement in mental health. There are many
other variables that may influence the relationship, such as average income, access to mental
healthcare, and cultural norms.
Although correlational research can’t prove causation, with a large amount of carefully
collected and analyzed data, it can strongly support a causal hypothesis. In the examples
above, the health effects of passive smoking and the greenhouse effect have been supported
by so much robust correlational evidence that a causal relationship is accepted by scientists.