secondary data as a research method

Question 1

What’s a strength of statistics, regarding price, access and effort

Answer 1

• easy and cheap to access, often found via internet

- takes little effort from sociologist

Question 2

What’s a strength of statistics, regarding date

Answer 2

• usually up-to-date

- so, gives a contemporary picture of patterns and trends in behaviour

Question 3

What’s a strength of statistics for positivist sociologists?

Answer 3

• they see official stats as hard reliable facts

Question 4

Why do positivist sociologists see official stats as hard reliable facts?

Answer 4

• because they’ve been collected in a standardised, systematic and scientific fashion.

Question 5

how can statistical relationships be identified?

Answer 5

by comparing official stats from regularly conducted surveys, like the census.

Question 6

What can be identified by comparing official stats from regularly conducted surveys?

Answer 6

statistical relationships

Question 7

how are statistics often gathered and how is this a strength?

Answer 7

• by surveys that have large representative samples

- so, their findings can be generalised to similar populations

Question 8

what can be easily seen by looking at stats?

Answer 8

trends over a period of time

Question 9

what do statistics often help sociologists make?

Answer 9

hypotheses that motivate sociological research!