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Sociology- Research methods > Quantitative methods- Official statistics > Flashcards

Quantitative methods- Official statistics Flashcards

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Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What are statistics?

A

Secondary quantitative method
Used mainly by positivists

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2
Q

What are official statistics?

A

A wide range of data collected by government department and agencies

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3
Q

Why are non official statistics?

A

Data collected by agencies other then give department e.g. charities, pressures groups and trade unions

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4
Q

In official statistics, what are hard statistics?

A

Factual
Simply and collection of legally required data e.g. births and deaths

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5
Q

In official statistics what are soft statistics?

A

Open to interpretation and manipulation e.g. crime and unemployment

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6
Q

What are the 5 examples of official statistics?

A

Sucide
Health
Crime
The census
Education

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7
Q

What are suicide statistics?

A

Durkheim used official statistics to study suicide in an attempt to identify the social causes

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8
Q

Criticism is suciside statistics?

A

Turning something so sensitive into a statistic is unethical

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9
Q

What health statistics?

A

Health statistics are regularly collected by the govt
Issues covered include- life expectancy, mental health, drug and alcohol misuse and causes of death

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10
Q

What are crime statistics?

A

Collected by the Crime survey for england and wales
e.g. drug offences, domestic violence, arrest rates and prison statistics

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11
Q

Criticisms of crime statistics?

A

Not all crimes recorded such as petty crimes
Their aren’t more criminals they are just finding more if then
Feminists would say it’s difficult to record rape and domestic violence

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12
Q

What is the census?

A

Every 10 years since 1801 the nation has set aside one day for the census
This is a count of all people and households
it’s the most complete source of information about the population we have
Last held in march 2011

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13
Q

Criticisms of the census?

A

Held every 10 yrs so out to date

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14
Q

What are education statistics?

A

Exam results are published annually and lead to the publication of school leuge tables
Schools also publish attendance statistics

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15
Q

Criticisms of education/ employment?

A

Not all school tables reflect school
Political weapon if unemployment means don’t tell the truth as they can make govt look bad (hide unemployment figure by not counting people in education)

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16
Q

What is being socially constructed?

A

Created by those measuring the data

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17
Q

why do critical race theorists claim crime statistics are socially constructed?

A

Police only target one type of ground e.g. race
It doesn’t mean theirs more of them they are just finding other groups

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18
Q

Socially constructed- Hall and Gilroy?

A

Suggest ethnic minority’s, particularly black groups are over represented in crime statistics

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19
Q

Race theorist and crime- Black and Asian?

A

Black and asian men are more likely to be stopped and searched by the police compared to white men

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20
Q

What are the advantages of using official statistics?

A

-Extensive and up to date
-Large scale
-Can spot developing trends and patterns
-Objextive and reflect social facts of society
-Criticisms are exaggerated
-Ethical- no one’s offended as it’s just a number
-Reliable- done every 10 yes and everyone has to do it

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21
Q

Do advantages apply to all official statistics e.g. The census

A

Not really they can be out of date

22
Q

Disadvantage of statistics?

A

-Manipulation
-Theoretical
-Marxist feminism and critical race theory

23
Q

Disadvantages of statistic- manipulated?

A

-Conservative govt changed the way they counted unemployment 30 times between 1982 and 1992
Causing them to drop- An example of how quickly things can be manipulated to fit politician embarrassing unemployment rates (lack validty)
-Changing in method of police recording of official rate if violet crimes, so certain data can distort actual figure (e.g. the way labour counted crime made it peak)

24
Q

Disadvantages of statistics- Theoretical criticisms?

A

Statistics aren’t facts, just interpititatib
All data requires classification and interpretation
e.g. In crime stars the crown prosecutor of service and all courts have different interpretations of weather crimes have taken place

25
Q

Theoretical criticisms- Maxwell Atkinson?

A

Sees suicide statistics as producers of coroners assumptions about the rate if people who commit sucicidr rates if death is an accident murdered if suicide

26
Q

Marxist, Femenust and Critical race theory criticisms?

A

Says official statistics are supported and supplied by a radical society
Agreed govt statistics are systematically distorted
Believe gov deliberately define poverty to minimise amount reported so hiding negative effects of capitalism
Crimes of the powerful don’t appear in statistics but these if the of the poor are
Also exaggerates criminality if ethnics minortys

27
Q

PERVERT- factors?

A

Practical issues
Ethical issues
Reliability
Validity
Examples
Representativeness
Theoretical issues

28
Q

Advantages of official statistics?

A

Practicality
Ethical issues
Reliability
Representativeness

29
Q

Disadvantages of official statistics?

A

Ethical issues
Validity
Theoretical issues

30
Q

Official statistics advantages- practical?

A

Easily available for sociologist

31
Q

Ethical issues advantages?

A

No direct involvement with p’s

32
Q

Reliability advantages?

A

Easily to identify patterns and trends

33
Q

Representativeness advantages?

A

Very large and representative sample, usually beyond most researchers ability

34
Q

Ethical disadvantages?

A

Is it ethical to rely on them

35
Q

Validity disadvantages?

A

Not as valid as methods

36
Q

Validity advantages?

A

however as they are produced by the govt people might be least likely to lie

37
Q

Theoretical disadvantages?

A

Marxist and feminists
Interpretivist

38
Q

Theoretical advantages?

A

Positivists

39
Q

Statistic example?

A

Durkheim 1897, sucide statistics

40
Q

Why does Durkheim refer to suicide statistics as social facts?

A

Exploring the social situation that may have contributed to suicide therefore considered external factors which may have influenced decisions

41
Q

What analysis did Durkheim use?

A

Multivariate

42
Q

What is multivariate analysis?

A

Comparing social factors with a known incident of a particular event e.g. suicide

43
Q

What are the 4 ways Durkheim classified suicide?

A

Egotistic
Altruistic
Anomic
Fatalistic

44
Q

Classified suicide- Egotistic?

A

Selfishness, high rates of suicide in societies with low level of integration, but that, within those society, people integrated in families or religious groups that provide greater levels of social integration are less likely to take their lives e.g. married people less likely to commit suicide compared to single people

45
Q

Classified suicide- Altruistic?

A

Insufficient motivation
Looks at the wider society e.g. suicide bombing due to political or religious reason in contempary society

46
Q

Classified suicide- Anomic?

A

A rapid social change
According to Durkheim societies develop cultural and social mechanisms that provide a clear framework of what’s socially acceptable and if this is weekend we may become naturally selfish whilst others are bewildered
Suicide can occur in times of dramatic social change e.g. economic crisis

47
Q

Classified suicide- Fatalistic?

A

Loosing the will to live

48
Q

One way to criticise Durkheim’s study?

A

We need to consider the individual reason ‘verstehen’ brain functions

49
Q

What sociologist criticises Durkheim?

A

Atkinson

50
Q

Whys atkinson critical of suicide?

A

They fail to understand that category’s such as suicide are socially constructed

51
Q

What did atkinson study that can be more efficient of suicide than statistics?

A

-Coroners and their decision to see why deaths a suicide or not

52
Q

Atkinson- what are the clues given by conorers?

A

-Suicide notes- 30% of suicides have notes, some may be burned due to accusations
-Mode of death- the location and circumstance (suicides done in places where they won’t be discovered and or will have a successful attempt
-Life history and the mental condition of the deceased

Sociology- Research methods (11 decks)

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