secondary data - official statistics

• What are secondary sources?

  Information collected by others for non-sociological purposes
• What are the types of secondary sources used in research?

  • Existing qualitative research
  • Public documents
  • Official statistics
  • Personal documents
  • Historical documents
  • Non-official statistics
  • Existing quantitative research
• Why do sociologists use secondary sources?

  They are often free, available, and cover large numbers
• What are examples of official statistics?

  Statistics on births, deaths, marriages, and crime
• How can official statistics help in policy making?

  They provide data for planning and monitoring
• What are two ways of collecting data for official statistics?

  Registration and official surveys
• What is a practical advantage of using official statistics?

  They are a free source of large data sets

  
• How do official statistics allow comparisons between groups?

  They provide data on various demographics

  
• What can trends and patterns in official statistics show?

  Changes over time and cause-effect relationships
• What is a limitation of official statistics regarding topic availability?

  Statistics may not exist for specific sociological interests
• How can definitions used in official statistics differ from sociological definitions?

  Government definitions may not align with sociological terms
• Why can changing definitions over time complicate comparisons?

  It alters the context and meaning of data
• What is the representativeness of official statistics?

  They often cover large populations and are representative
• What affects the reliability of official statistics?

  Errors in data collection or public reporting
• What distinguishes hard statistics from soft statistics?

  Hard statistics are more accurate and less manipulated
• Give an example of a hard statistic.

  Number of births or deaths
• Give an example of a soft statistic.

  Police crime statistics
• Why might crime statistics not provide a valid picture of crime?

  Not all crimes are reported or recorded
• What is the difference between registration and official surveys?

  Registration uses official records; surveys collect data
• What are the main uses of official statistics for sociologists?

  • Allow comparisons between groups/societies
  • Identify trends and patterns over time
  • Show cause-and-effect relationships in studies