The relative strengths of focus groups and individual interviews have been
more the subject of speculation than systematic research. This study statis
tically tests the notion that participants in focus groups and individual i
nterviews equally raise sensitive topics for discussion. Ninety-seven year-
round residents from the Chelem Lagoon region in Yucatan, Mexico participat
ed in 1 of 12 focus groups or 19 individual in-depth interviews. A professi
onal moderator using the same discussion guide concerning the shared mangro
ve ecosystem conducted the sessions. The 31 sessions resulted in more than
500 pages of transcripts which were systematically and iteratively coded us
ing a grounded theory approach. The coded qualitative data were transformed
into summary variables that allowed for statistical analysis and testing o
f the research hypothesis. The study illustrates that the individual interv
iews were 18 times more likely to raise socially sensitive discussion topic
s than the focus groups. Additionally, the study found the two qualitative
methods to reveal complementary, not substitute, sets of information.