Primary data

Primary data

1. Information collected by sociologists themselves for their own purposes

2. Social surveys are a type of primary data

   • These involve asking people questions in a written questionnaire or an interview

3. Participant observations are a type of primary data

   • The sociologist joins in with the activities of the group he or she is studying

4. Experiments are a type of primary data

   • Sociologists rarely use laboratory experiments but they sometimes use field experiments and the comparative method

5. Advantage

   • Sociologists may be able to gather precisely the information they need to test their hypothesis

6. Disadvantage

   • Can often be time consuming and costly