Group discussions are topic-oriented discussions with mostly 6-10 participants. They are led by a psychologically experienced moderator and an open discussion guide. The interaction of the participants achieves a mutual impulsive effect. It lets people interact dynamically, stimulates the debate on the topic of research and quickly promotes a comprehensive picture of opinion. Different positions can be delimited and outlined. The use of projective techniques also allows the group to verbalize the emotional perception of a message, service or product.

In mini-groups with only 2 to 4 participants, especially complex content can be deepened very well. The setting is ideal for differentiating different positions and at the same time giving more space to the individual participant. Online surveys primarily use and adapt classical instruments such as group discussions and one-to-one interviews. Recruitment of participants from social networks, forums or online communities is possible and often used.