Official Statistics

Question 1

What are official statistics?

Answer 1

Major source of secondary data 
Mostly quantitative 
Often collected through the use of questionnaires 
Collected by the government
E.g birth & death rates

Question 2

Hard statistics

Answer 2

Facts which are certified and cannot be changed

Product of an accurate and objective counting processs undertaken by the state

Question 3

Soft statistics

Answer 3

Interpretivists argue these are NOT facts because they are the product of subjective decisions made by powerful inderviduals

Question 4

Example of soft statistics

Answer 4

Crime Statistcs

Poverty statistics

Question 5

Examples of hard statistics

Answer 5

Death Rates
Birth rates
Marital status

Question 6

STRENGTHS of statistics

Answer 6

Positivists live this method - viewed as scientific
Highly reliable
Representative
Valid,
Generalisable
Allow for researchers to observe trends over time

Question 7

LIMITATIONS of official statistics

Answer 7

Secondary data - therefore not collected for the purpose of sociologists research
Biased due to political influence
Interpretivists argue this method tells us very little about people’s experiences, attitudes and feelings
Accessibility issues

Question 8

ETHICAL issues

Answer 8

Can be manipulated by governments to make a political point and this may have a detrimental knock on effect for people

Question 9

EXAMPLE of ETHICAL issues in OFFICIAL STATISTICS

Answer 9

Poverty is defined as 60% of the median income, so if society becomes less affluent then less people will be classed as living in poverty