Final answer:
The benefits of cross-sectional designs compared to longitudinal designs include typically having larger sample sizes, being faster to complete, and generally being cheaper, as they assess a population at a single point in time.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cross-sectional study design is a type of observational study design. In a cross-sectional study, the investigator measures the outcome and the exposures in the study participants at the same time. The benefits of cross-sectional designs compared to longitudinal designs in social research.
While both research designs have their own advantages and limitations depending on the context, the benefits often attributed to cross-sectional designs include that they typically have larger sample sizes, are generally faster to complete, and tend to be cheaper due to the reduced time and resources needed as they assess a situation at a single point in time rather than over a prolonged period. However, it's important to note that these benefits can vary based on specific research objectives and frameworks.