Official Statistics

Question 1

Official statistics

Answer 1

• are secondary sources of quantitative data
• mainly gathered by national or local government and other offical agencies
• usually used alongside primary research methods

Question 2

Hard statistics

Answer 2

• facts that once certified cannot be changes = products of accurate and objective work
• e.g. briths and deaths, exam results all have to be legally registered

Question 3

Soft statistics

Answer 3

• not facts as they are the product of subjective decisions need choices made by powerful individuals

Question 4

Strengths of official statistics

Answer 4

P + easily accessible and cheap
P + can be used for comparisons
T + positivists see official statistics as scientific = valid, generalisable, reliable and objective

Question 5

Limitations of official statistics

Answer 5

P - they may be biased or partial because they have been gathered for political purposes
T - interpretivists dislike = tell us very little about peoples experiences, attitudes and feelings