Research methods

• Official Statistics- are quantitative data collected by government bodies eg social services and NHS
• Strengths -

  -they are easy to access -practical

  -free to access-practical

  -carried out over periods of times which enables you to see trends -theoretical

  -often cover the entire country , representative -theoretical
• Disadvantages-

  -the government collect them for their own benefit, so it may not cover what you are looking for -practical

  -potential bias -theoretical

  -definitions of key concepts may be different to a sociologists -theoretical