Secondary data
for sociologists: current
possibilities on national,
European and international level
Jolanta Perek – Białas, PhD
Institute of Sociology
Jagiellonian University
Cracow, Poland
jperek@uj.edu.pl
Linz, Austria, 13th of December 2006
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Primary and secondary data
Primary data: they are invented by researcher especially in
order to answer/solve the specific research problem (i.e.
consumer’s satisfaction survey, to know what the values are
the most important, different social aspects)
Secondary data: data which are collected not to give an
answer for our questions (ie. European Social Survey or
Household Budget Survey conducted by
the Central Statistical Office)
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Secondary data: definition
Secondary data - data generated and collected earlier,
by someone else and
in other aim, not exactly (not the same)
as our research’s aim
They are usually from the past (historical ones).
They are usually collected by someone else and
so we do not need to contact with respondents
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Characteristics
Primary Data
Aim
Secondary Data
Way
To fullfill the aim of Not directly fullfill
specific
the aim of this
research
specific
research
Quick and easy
Complicated
Cost
High
Low
Time
Long
Short
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Secondary data according to the source
Internal
Need to be prepared
External
Published
Database
Ready to use
Other research
5
Why secondary data?
•
•
•
•
Problem identification
Better definition (re-definition) of the problem
Better assessment of proper approach to the problem
Adequate conceptualization of the research (key
variables)
• Obtaining some answers for some questions, reformulating hypothesis
• It could be done before qualitative research , ie. Who
should be invited for the Focus Group Interview?
• Better interpretation of primary data.
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The golden rule of using the
secondary data
Collect the primary data only then when
you use all possible sources of
information or they will not give you
significant results!
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Advantages
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Better understanding of research problem
Give a problem solution
Help to plan a research (primary data)
Give an attention for a specific problems to take in
surveys
Help in better interpretation of primary data
Availability
Quickness
Relatively low cost
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Disadvantages
– Data in other aim as our project’s aim
– Limited utility for solving an actual problem
– Lack of some data (i.e. local market/ market
niche)
– Could be not up-dated
– Could be not precise
– Could be not objective
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Evaluation of secondary data
• What was the aim of survey?
• Who did collect data?
• What kind of data were gathered?
• When were the data gathered?
• In what way were the data gathered?
(Source: Stewart D., Secondary Research: Information
Sources and Methods, Sage, Beverly Hills 1984)
• How it was financed? (additional)
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Looking for secondary data
• Describe what you would like to know/what you know
• Create the list of keywords
• Start searching of different sources
• Evaluate if data are adequate
• Redefine the keywords and use more sources
• Check the accuracy of these data
(Stewart, 1984)
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Examples
on national level (POLISH CASE)
1. Central Statistical Office – data from household
budget surveys, local, regional data
www.stat.gov.pl
2. Diagnoza Społeczna
www.diagnoza.com.pl
3. CBOS, TNS OBOP, GFK Polonia – possibility to
gather relatively cheap data from public
opinion polls
www.cbos.pl, www.gfk.pl
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Diagnoza Społeczna/SOCIAL
DIAGNOSIS
• Living conditions and quality of life – not just
survey – rather facts
• Sample size more than 3,000 households/about
9,000 persons
• Complex sample and weights for cross-section
survey and panel sample (2000,2003 and 2005)
• About 188 MAIN CONCLUSIONS
• Data (in SPSS/SAS), report and tables on the
web page
• No English sum up for 2005/English version for
2003
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Example on European level
European Social Survey – survey on
different social aspects in the majority of
European countries
www.europeansocialsurvey.org
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European Social Survey
• Therefore the ESS aims to pioneer and
‘prove’ a standard of methodology for
cross-national attitude surveys that has
hitherto not been attempted anywhere in
the world.
• It is in particular a pioneering project in
respect of the difficult methodological
problems posed by cross-national attitude
surveys.
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European Social Survey
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
A1 –A10 Media; social trust
B1 – B40 Politics, including: political interest, efficacy, trust, electoral and
other forms of participation, party allegiance, socio-political orientations
C1 – C28 Subjective well-being, social exclusion; religion; perceived
discrimination; national and ethnic identity
D1-D30 Health and care seeking health, medicine, and doctor/patient
relations
E1-E30 Economic morality, Trust and interactions between producers and
consumers
F1 – F70b Socio-demographic profile, including: household composition,
sex, age, type of area, education & occupation of respondent, partner,
parents, union membership, income, marital status
G1-G124 Family Work and Well being work - life balance
Section H Human values scale
Section I Test questions
Section J Interviewer self-completion questions
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Example
on international level
The World Values Survey were
designed to provide a comprehensive
measurement of all major areas of
human concern, from religion to politics
to economic and social life
www.worldvaluessurvey.org
17
The World Values Survey
Association
• is a non-profit organization funded by various
scientific foundations.
• carries out representative national surveys of the
values and beliefs of people in their own
countries.
• the data collected is shared immediately among
the members of the network, and two years after
completion of fieldwork, the data is published for
public use.
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Inglehart-Welzel Cultural Map of
the World (Ronald Inglehart )
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Religion – our interest
• DIAGNOZA – not focus on this aspect only
with the individual well-being
• EES – a few questions (examples)
• WVS – a lot of different questions
(different ones, even, believe in God, in
sin, etc.)
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% of persons participating in religious events
at least 4 times per month and praying to the
God in difficult situations (2000-2005)
2000
2003
2005
N=6800
N=9600
N=8648
Participation in
religious events at
least 4 times per
month
50,2
46,5
47,0
Pray as a solution in
difficult situation
31,0
32,3
33,0
Source: years 2000-2005, Diagnoza Społeczna, report 2005, p. 165
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EES
Question C 14
Question C 15
Apart from special occasions such
as weddings and funerals,
about how often do you attend
religious services nowadays?
Apart from when you are at
religious services, how often, if
at all, do you pray?
Instruction(s): Pre: CARD 22 Post: Please
use this card.
Variable name and label: RLGATND How
often attend religious services apart
from special occasions
Values and categories
01 Every day
02 More than once a week
03 Once a week
04 At least once a month
05 Only on special holy days
06 Less often
07 Never
77 Refusal
88 Don't know
99 No answer
Instruction(s): Pre: STILL CARD 22 Post:
Please use this card.
Variable name and label: PRAY How often
pray apart from at religious services
Values and categories
01 Every day
02 More than once a week
03 Once a week
04 At least once a month
05 Only on special holy days
06 Less often
07 Never
77 Refusal
88 Don't know
99 No answer
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EES
23
EES
24
WVS
• See the output in the SPSS
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Internet
Diagnoza – quite a lot of different aspects
EES - ASK ALL
A7 CARD 2 Now, using this card, how often do you use the
internet, the World Wide Web or e-mail – whether at
home or at work – for your personal [1] use?
No access at home or work
00
Never use
01
Less than once a month
02
Once a month
03
Several times a month
04
Once a week
05
Several times a week
06
Every day
07
(Don’t know)
88
[1] “Personal use’” is private or recreational use that does not have to do with
one’s work or occupation.
WVS – no such word, in 2005 once
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DIAGNOZA (2005)
Computer Users in
Households in which
there is a computer
in%
TOTAL
Internet users in
households where there
is an access to the net in
%
69,8
71,5
Male
71,5
75,1
Female
68,4
68,2
to 24 year
95,4
96,8
25-34 years
86,7
92,8
35-44 years
71,7
72,8
45-59 years
54,0
53,0
60-64 years
37,0
34,8
65+ Year
16,5
17,2
GENDER
AGE
See the report, 2005
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OLDER
EES (2002)
Ludzie młodsi
YOUNG
Ludzie starsi
Portugalia
Holandia
Szw ecja
Dania
Szw ajcaria
Izrael
Norw egia
Wielka Brytania
Austria
Luksemburg
Irlandia
Finlandia
Belgia
Włochy
Czechy
Słow enia
Hiszpania
Polska
Grecja
Węgry
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Proce nt os ób k orzys tających z inte rne tu przynajm nie j raz na m ie s iąc
EES II ROUND,% of Persons using Internet at least once per 28
month
SUM UP (1)
DIAGNOZA
ESS
WVS
What was the Evaluate
aim of the
reforms
survey?
(2000)
Monitor
social
aspects
Who did
collect data?
(for Poland)
The team of
academics
from different
disciplines
Team/ on
Sociologists
national
in Poland*
level
sociologists*
What kind of
data were
gathered?
See
questionnaire
See
questionnaire
Values/reli
gion/politic
s
See
questionnaire
* Different in other countries, please look at the documentation
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SUM UP (2)
DIAGNOZA
ESS
WVS
When were
the data
gathered?
2000, 2003, 2005
(March)
I Round
II Round
III Round
From 1981 to
present (different
years/waves)
In what way
were the data
gathered?
Survey/representa
tive/households
and then individual
– trained
interviewers of the
Central Statistical
Office
Private
company
experienced in
surveys,
national
sample of
individuals
CBOS/a big
institute of public
opinion surveys–
individual
Main sponsor:
COMMERCIAL
UNION, POLAND
European
Commission
(5th and 6th
FP)
National
resources/
scientific
institutions but
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also The Bank of
Sweden
(POLAND)
How it was
financed?
SUM UP (3)
DIAGNOZA
ESS
WVS
Access
FREE
FREE
FREE/
some
limitations
Evaluation of
the fieldwork
Report
Yes/No
Yes/No
YES
YES very
detailed
No (papers)
Publications
Which one is
the best?
?
?
?
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