What Are The Sources Of Data?

Statistical data can be obtained from two kinds of source, and which one applies depends on who first gathered the figures.

Primary data are collected by the researcher directly, first-hand, by conducting an enquiry of their own. Because they come straight from the original investigation they are the freshest evidence. Example: to judge how popular a film star is among school students, you would question a large number of students yourself; the responses you obtain are primary data.

Secondary data are figures that have already been collected and processed — that is, scrutinised and tabulated — by some other agency. You simply use what someone else produced. They can be taken from published sources such as government reports, official documents, newspapers, or books by economists, or from a website. …