Secondary Data Flashcards
what is secondary data
information collected previously by someone else other than the researcher
in terms of amount how is secondary data useful
huge amount of data available coming from large scale studies or gov databases - provides access to extensive and representative datasets that may not be feasible for individual researchers to collect
why might it be limited
limited to what is available
why might it be useful for the past
documents and official statistics may be the only way to research the past
why might it be negative for wider population
documents may not be representative of the wider population (especially old ones/outdated info)
how might it be useful to make comparisons over time
official statistics useful to make comparisons over time - can analyse past trends or long term effects that would be impossible or difficult to collect in real time
how far back does the uk census go
1851
why might it be negative for historical comparisons
the way things are measured overtime may change so historical comparisons will be difficult
eg uk definition of crime keeps changing
may not reflect current behaviours, attitudes or societal conditions
negative: lack of control
researcher has no control over how the data was originally collected - may have inaccuracies, biases or missing info
neg/pos: ethics
neg: access to certain secondary data may be restricted due to confidentiality agreements and privacy concerns - limits availability for research
pos: ethically safe as data has already been collected - ethical concerns may have already been addressed by original researchers
