How many participants are required at minimum for a focus group?

A minimum of 20 participants is often recommended for a focus group to ensure that a diverse range of opinions and perspectives are represented. This larger group size helps create a dynamic discussion, allowing for a variety of viewpoints to emerge which is crucial for gathering rich, qualitative data. Having 20 participants can facilitate more in-depth conversations, as participants can bounce ideas off one another, leading to more nuanced insights. Small groups may limit the discussion and the diversity of perspectives, potentially skewing the findings. Therefore, having at least 20 participants is generally seen as a best practice in focus group research.