Official Statistics

• What data does it produce?

  Quantative data which is collected by government bodies
• Who favours official statistics?

  Favoured by Positivists because data is quick, cheap and easy to access and it covers a wide range of social issues
• What is a PRACTICAL advantage?

  Cheap, easy to obtain and easy to access. For example, through the office of national statistics website
• What is a REPRESENTATIVE advantage?

  Official statistics often cover large groups of people. For example, crime statistics are complied by police across the entire country
• What is an advantage of official statistics?

  Collected at regular interviews so you can compare trends over time. For example, the census is completed every 10 years
• What are too disadvantages?

  definitions may be different. For example, what the government considers poverty may not be their same as a sociologist

  The government collects these statistics for Its own benefit, so they may not cover what sociology specifically wants to study