Secondary Sources of Data: Quantitative Methods | Sociology for GCSE/IGCSE - Year 11 PDF Download

Official Statistics

Secondary data refers to information or data gathered by individuals or organizations, such as other researchers or government bodies, and made available for sociologists to use in their research. This data is considered second-hand as it is pre-existing and accessible for analysis.

Quantitative secondary data is presented in numerical form, with examples including birth rates, marriage rates, and unemployment rates. In the UK, government agencies like the Office for National Statistics (ONS) compile official statistics. The ONS oversees the census, a comprehensive questionnaire distributed to every household in England and Wales.

Evaluation of Official Statistics

Advantages of Official Statistics:

• Cost and Time Efficiency: Official statistics are readily available online, saving sociologists time and money, and they cover a wide range of social topics.
• Representativeness: Based on large samples, such as the census, which includes the entire population of England and Wales, these statistics are often highly representative.
• Trend Analysis: They enable sociologists to examine trends over time, such as changes in crime, marriage, divorce, or birth rates, especially following new legislation.
• Mixed Methods Research: Official statistics can be combined with qualitative data, such as in-depth interviews, to explore patterns, like gender differences in subject choices.

Limitations of Official Statistics:

• Lack of Depth: Interpretivist sociologists argue that statistics like divorce or unemployment rates provide no insight into the personal experiences of individuals, limiting their depth.
• Validity Concerns: Sociologists cannot verify the accuracy of official statistics, as some may not accurately measure the intended phenomena, such as domestic violence statistics.
• Social Constructs: Interpretivists view official statistics as socially constructed, influenced by decisions made during data collection, such as a police officer choosing not to record a reported crime, which affects crime statistics.
• Incomplete Fit for Research: Official statistics may not align perfectly with a sociologist’s research goals. For instance, divorce statistics show the number of divorces but omit data on empty-shell marriages or separations, reducing their validity.

Non-Official Statistics

Non-governmental organizations in the UK, such as banks, trade associations, charities, and market research organizations, produce non-official statistics. These can be used in sociological research to save time and money, especially since they are easily accessible online. While they share many advantages and limitations with official statistics, non-official statistics generally lack the same level of quality and reliability.

Data Collected by Other Researchers

Sociologists often analyze quantitative and qualitative data previously collected by other researchers. Quantitative data from large, high-quality surveys, such as those available through the UK Data Archive, can be accessed online for secondary analysis.

Evaluation of Using Existing Quantitative Data for Secondary Analysis

Advantages:

• Time and Cost Savings: Analyzing pre-existing survey data eliminates the need to collect new data, saving researchers time and resources.
• High-Quality Data: Many data sets, like the Millennium Cohort Study, are based on large, somewhat representative samples, ensuring quality.
• Longitudinal Analysis: These data sets allow for longitudinal studies, tracking changes over time.

Limitations:

• Lack of Control: Researchers have no control over the quality of the data since they did not collect it themselves.
• Missing Variables: The data may not include all variables relevant to the research. For example, a study on happiness and optimism might find only one of these variables in the data set.
• Variable Definitions: The variables in the data set may be defined differently than the researcher would prefer, limiting their applicability.