Secondary sources

secondary sources

pre-existing information gathered by others e.g. government statistics on births, marriages, deaths, as well as letters, emails, and diaries

hard statistics

simple counts that register events such as births and deaths, not easily manipulated

soft statistics

more easily manipulated e.g. crime statistics

advantages

Availability – already in existence, cheap, quick readily available, published regularly

Representativeness – often based on large samples, highly representative

Coverage – cover important aspects of social life (e.g. education, crime)

Prompts to research – can reveal new patterns needing further investigation

Background data – provide useful context about research groups

Comparability – easy to draw comparisons and identify trends

Reliability – consistent categories and collection methods allow for replication

disadvantages

Definitions and measurement – may differ for sociologist’ definitions

Reliability - recording errors and inaccuracies can occur

Social construction – seen as social constructs, not objective truths

Political bias – may reflect ruling class interests and ideology

Male bias – may be biased against women e.g. excluding unpaid housework

evaluation

Positivists view them as ‘social facts’

Interpretivists see them as social constructs

Hard statistics are more accurate, while soft statistics are less reliable and valid