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How Many Interviews Are Enough?

2005/12/23 by Greg Guest, Arwen Bunce, Laura Johnson · 1 voice · 67 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Categorization, perception, and language #Qualitative Research Methods and Applications #Social Development and Education Research

paper · doi:10.1177/1525822x05279903

openalex publication_date 2005/12/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31

Abstract

Guidelines for determining nonprobabilistic sample sizes are virtually nonexistent. Purposive samples are the most commonly used form of nonprobabilistic sampling, and their size typically relies on the concept of “saturation,” or the point at which no new information or themes are observed in the data. Although the idea of saturation is helpful at the conceptual level, it provides little practical guidance for estimating sample sizes, prior to data collection, necessary for conducting quality research. Using data from a study involving sixty in-depth interviews with women in two West African countries, the authors systematically document the degree of data saturation and variability over the course of thematic analysis. They operationalize saturation and make evidence-based recommendations regarding nonprobabilistic sample sizes for interviews. Based on the data set, they found that saturation occurred within the first twelve interviews, although basic elements for metathemes were present as early as six interviews. Variability within the data followed similar patterns.

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