Data & Statistics

Question 1

what is data

Answer 1

data is defined as unprocessed information collected during research.

Question 2

what are the types of data?

Answer 2

Primary data
Secondary data
Qualitative data
Quantitative data

Question 3

what is primary data?

Answer 3

Primary Data is defined as first-hand data collected from the researcher him or herself.

Question 4

what is secondary data?

Answer 4

Secondary data is information already existing in research.

Question 5

what is Qualitative data?

Answer 5

Qualitative data includes historical and personal documents, diaries and media content.

Question 6

what is Quantitative data?

Answer 6

Quantitative data includes numerical data such as official statistics and data in tabular and graphic form, including diagrams, chart and graphs.

Question 7

what is Quantitative data?

Answer 7

Quantitative data includes numerical data such as official statistics and data in tabular and graphic form, includingdigrams,chart and graphs.

Question 8

what is Official Statistics?

Answer 8

Official statistics are the main source of secondary quantitative data for sociologists and are widely used. They consist of numerical data produced by national and local governments and by official bodies.

Question 9

Arguments for Statistics (Uses)

Answer 9

-positivists like to use them because they are quantitative data and hence tend to be more reliable.
-positivists believe that quantitative data such as statistics can be used to generate social ‘facts’ or ‘laws’ as they can be used to predict human social behaviour.
- statistics are often free and widely accessible on the internet, therefore it is cheap and easy to use.
-they can be used to make comparisons between different types of data or different social groups eg. men and women or age groups.
-they can be used to identify trends so they are useful as part of longitudinal studies as they can show a change over time in key social areas, eg. crime, education etc
-statistics as secondary data can provide a useful overview or context for primary research in ‘setting the scene’.
-statistics often go back a long time and can be used to make historical comparisons eg. changing population trends as documented in the census.

Question 10

Arguments Against

Answer 10

-Interpretivists may be suspicious of statistics because they are a form of quantitative data and this cannot give meanings, motives and individual interpretations lowering the overall validity of the research.
-even though statistics are often free to use they are not always cheap to collect eg. large team is required to capture and analyse the census data.
-official statistics is collected for administrative purposes rather than for research purposes, so the data which exists and the categories and indicators used might not fit a researcher’s specific research purposes.
-some statistics lack validity eg. the official crime statistics miss a large hidden figure and hence are only of limited use in studying crime.
- statistics can both official or non-official can be biased to make the company/ government look good thus lowering their validity.
-the way the trends trends are measured overtime can change and this can make historical comparisons difficult and unreliable.e.g changes to the way crime is measured.
-because there is secondary data the researcher cannot check the validity of the initial research and so may be relying on data which is not.