Secondary data for sociologists: current possibilities on national, European and international level

1
Secondary data for sociologists current
possibilities on national, European and
international level

• Jolanta Perek Bialas, PhD
• Institute of Sociology
• Jagiellonian University
• Cracow, Poland
• jperek_at_uj.edu.pl

Linz, Austria, 13th of December 2006
2
Primary and secondary data
Primary data they are invented by researcher
especially in order to answer/solve the specific
research problem (i.e. consumers 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)
3
Secondary data definition
Secondary data - data generated and collected
earlier, by someone else and in other aim, not
exactly (not the same) as our researchs 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

4
Characteristics
5
Secondary data according to the source
Internal
External
Need to be prepared
Published
Database
Ready to use
Other research
6
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.

7
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!
8
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

9
Disadvantages

• Data in other aim as our projects 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

10
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)

11
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)
12
Exampleson national level (POLISH CASE)

• Central Statistical Office data from household
  budget surveys, local, regional data
• www.stat.gov.pl
• Diagnoza Spoleczna
• 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

13
Diagnoza Spoleczna/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

14
Example on European level

• European Social Survey survey on different
  social aspects in the majority of European
  countries
• www.europeansocialsurvey.org

15
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.

16
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

17
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

18
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.

19
Inglehart-Welzel Cultural Map of the World
(Ronald Inglehart )
20
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.)

21
of persons participating in religious events at
least 4 times per month and praying to the God in
difficult situations (2000-2005)
Source years 2000-2005, Diagnoza Spoleczna,
report 2005, p. 165
22
EES

• Question 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 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

• 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 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

23
EES
24
EES
25
WVS

• See the output in the SPSS

26
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
• (Dont know) 88
• 1 Personal use is private or recreational
  use that does not have to do with ones work or
  occupation.
• WVS no such word, in 2005 once

27
DIAGNOZA (2005)
See the report, 2005
28
EES (2002)
OLDER
YOUNG
EES II ROUND, of Persons using Internet at least
once per month
29
SUM UP (1)
Different in other countries, please look at
the documentation
30
SUM UP (2)
31
SUM UP (3)