Primary and secondary data

Question 1

What are the advantages of primary data?

Answer 1

• A pilot survey can be carried out first to discover if any amendments should be made.
• Primary data is collected using methods that are specific to the investigation.

Question 2

What are the disadvantages of primary data?

Answer 2

It will often need to be repeated several times to ensure reliability.

Question 3

What are the advantages of secondary data?

Answer 3

• Someone else has performed the data collection; therefore the researcher saves time, money, energy and other resources. The researcher can spend more time analysing and evaluating the data.
• Sometimes you need to pay for data but it is cheaper than the expense of conducting a similar collection of data.
• The government conducts several studies on a large scale, and is often collected over several time periods
• Secondary data is often collected using professionalism, expertise and resources unavailable to small research groups.

Question 4

What are the disadvantages of secondary data?

Answer 4

• It may not answer the question. Primary data is collected using methods that are specific to the investigation. Therefore is it possible that secondary data won’t contain the specific information that the researcher is looking for.
• The variables may have been categorised differently than the researcher would have chosen.
• The researcher doesn’t know exactly how the data was collected. Therefore the researcher has to read between the lines and consider what factors may have influenced the data collection.
• Sometimes you need to pay for it.