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Secondary data for sociologists: current possibilities on national,

European and international level

Jolanta Perek – Białas, PhDInstitute of Sociology

Jagiellonian UniversityCracow, 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 ananswer for our questions (ie. European Social Survey orHousehold Budget Survey conducted by the Central Statistical Office)

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Secondary data: definition

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

Secondary data - data generated and collected earlier, by someone else and

in other aim, not exactly (not the same) as our research’s aim

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CharacteristicsPrimary Data Secondary Data

Aim To fullfill the aim of specific research

Not directly fullfill the aim of this specific research

Way Complicated Quick and easy

Cost High Low

Time Long Short

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Secondary data according to the source

Ready to use

Need to be prepared Published

Database

Other research

ExternalInternal

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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, re-

formulating 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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Exampleson national level (POLISH CASE)

1. Central Statistical Office – data from household budget surveys, local, regional datawww.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 pollswww.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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Exampleon 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

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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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EESQuestion C 14

Apart from special occasions such as weddings and funerals, about how often do you attend religious services nowadays?

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 categories01 Every day02 More than once a week03 Once a week04 At least once a month05 Only on special holy days06 Less often07 Never77 Refusal88 Don't know99 No answer

Question C 15

Apart from when you are at religious services, how often, if at all, do you pray?

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 categories01 Every day02 More than once a week03 Once a week04 At least once a month05 Only on special holy days06 Less often07 Never77 Refusal88 Don't know99 No answer

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EES

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EES

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WVS

• See the output in the SPSS

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InternetDiagnoza – quite a lot of different aspects

EES - ASK ALLA7 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 00Never use 01Less than once a month 02Once a month 03Several times a month 04Once a week 05Several times a week 06Every 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%

Internet users in households where there is an access to the net in %

TOTAL 69,8 71,5

GENDER

Male 71,5 75,1

Female 68,4 68,2

AGE

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 17,2See the report, 2005

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EES (2002)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Węgry

Grecja

Polska

Hiszpania

Słow enia

Czechy

Włochy

Belgia

Finlandia

Irlandia

Luksemburg

Austria

Wielka Brytania

Norw egia

Izrael

Szw ajcaria

Dania

Szw ecja

Holandia

Portugalia

Procent osób korzystających z internetu przynajmniej raz na miesiąc

Ludzie młodsi Ludzie starsi

YOUNGOLDER

EES II ROUND,% of Persons using Internet at least once per month

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SUM UP (1)DIAGNOZA ESS WVS

What was the aim of the survey?

Evaluate reforms (2000)

Monitor social aspects

Values/religion/politics

Who did collect data? (for Poland)

The team of academics from different disciplines

Team/ on national level sociologists*

Sociologists in Poland*

What kind of data were gathered?

See

questionnaire

See questionnaire

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?

(POLAND)

Survey/representative/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

How it was financed?

Main sponsor: COMMERCIAL UNION, POLAND

European Commission (5th and 6th FP)

National resources/

scientific institutions but also The Bank of Sweden

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SUM UP (3)DIAGNOZA ESS WVS

Access FREE FREE FREE/

some limitations

Evaluation of the fieldwork

Yes/No YES very detailed

Yes/No

Report YES No (papers) Publications

Which one is the best?

? ? ?