A type of screening which is subject to a set of investment criteria such as personal preferences or values, societal concerns, etc. In other words, subjective screening considers both an investor’s financial needs and the impact of portfolio investments on the society, environment, and so on. An example of the use of subjective screening is the so-called socially responsible investing (SRI) which is meant to allow investors contribute to the broader society or a specific cause while earning competitive financial returns.

Contrary to quantitative screening, subjective screening enable investors to impose their own restrictions (portfolio investments) regarding specific subjective investment conditions as to what they like or dislike.