What is soft quota in market research?

A soft quota in market research refers to a flexible target for participant recruitment in a study, allowing researchers to achieve a certain number of responses from specific demographic segments without rigid constraints. It contrasts with a hard quota, which mandates an exact number of respondents from each segment. Soft quotas enable researchers to adapt to varying response rates while still aiming for balanced representation in the data collected. This approach helps maintain the quality and reliability of the research findings.