作為對資料導向研究的反思與補充，強調意義開發的厚資料研究途徑於2013年被提出，國內外的相關研究至今仍在探索階段。本文以中國研究中的政治經濟議題作為例子，展示如何以厚資料研究途徑突破與研究對象相關之數據失真的問題。本文主張有意義的數據資料使用是立基於相關行動者的辨認之上，研究者必須能夠釐清兩個問題：形成數據資料趨勢的相關行動者是誰，以及相關行動者的利益與行為動機結構為何。後者將促使研究者將行動者行為之所以產生的脈絡帶入分析中，以此瞭解人類從事該行為的意義。

As a reflection and supplement to data-driven research, thick data was firstly proposed as a complementary method of using data to engage in meaning mining in 2013. Through the case of Chinese political economy, this article demonstrates how the use of thick data enables researchers to overcome the problem of data distortion. It argues that meaningful use of data sources is based on the identification of actors. In order to do so, researchers are required to answer the following two questions: Who are the actors contributing to the tendency shown by the data? What are the interests and incentives of those actors? The second question necessitates an extensive analysis, which makes sense of human behavior in relation to the data we collect.