Using Available Data Chapter 12
Using Available Data
Chapter 12
Introduction
Social scientists often use available data Available data is data that is easily
accessible by the researcher Available data can come in the form of raw
data, actual statistics, or summaries of data
Introduction
Existing statistics Summaries of data collected by large
organizations
Introduction
Examples of existing statistics – www.fedstats.gov
Available data which is actual data instead of statistics allows researchers to perform their own analysis
Introduction
Secondary date Research data that have been collected by
someone else
Introduction
Secondary data is often contrasted with primary data
Primary data Data that the same researcher collects and
uses
Introduction
Ecological fallacy The fallacy of making inferences about certain
types of individuals from information about groups that might not be exclusively composed of those individuals
Focal Research
Comparing the Context of Immigrant Homicides in Miami: Haitians, Jamaicans, and Mariels by Ramiro Martinez, Jr., and Matthew T. Lee Avoiding ecological fallacy
Focal Research
Ethics The data about individuals that Martinez and
Lee obtained was collected by others and was used without any personal identification.
lthough the ASA Code of Ethics states that confidentiality is not required in the case of information available from public records, the researchers acted appropriately by collecting the data about victims and offenders from the records without names.
Quiz – Question 1
What was Martinez and Lee’s unit of analysis?
Kinds of Data Available
Secondary Data The unit of analysis for studies based on
secondary analysis of survey data is almost always the individual
People respond to surveys and therefore, people tend to be the unit of analysis
Kinds of Data Available
Existing Statistics Existing statistics are statistics provided by large
organizations. The U.S. Bureau of the Census is one of the most
commonly used sources of existing statistics The unit of analysis in studies based on existing
statistics is not the individual. Statistics summarize information about aggregates of
people, such as countries, regions, states, cities, counties, organizations, etc.
When using existing statistics you must find sources of data which use the same unit of analysis as your research question
Kinds of Available Data
Other Kinds of Available Data Physical traces
Include all kinds of physical evidence left by humans in the course of their everyday lives and can generally be divided into erosion measures and accretion measures.
Kinds of Available Data
Other kinds of available data Erosion measures
Indicators of a population’s activities created by its selective wear on its physical environment
A study of the amount of use particular objects receive
Kinds of Available Data
Other kinds of available data Accretion measures
Indicators of a population’s activities created by its deposits of materials
“The Garbage Project” at the University of Arizona has studied garbage since 1973, by sorting and coding random samples of household garbage
Kinds of Available Data
Other Kinds of Available Data The great advantage of physical traces, like
garbage, is the collection of data is unobtrusive or unlikely to affect the interactions, events, or behavior under consideration
Kinds of Available Data
Other Kinds of Available Data Personal records are records of private lives,
such as biographies, letters, diaries, and essays. Personal records are more difficult to gain access to
than public records
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Available Data Advantages
Collection is unobtrusive Available and inexpensive
Savings in time, money, and effort
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Available Data Disadvantages
Never quite sure about reliability Underreporting Ecological fallacy
Quiz – Question 2
If a researcher collects original data for her own purposes, she is relying on _______ to study a research question.
a. secondary data
b. primary data
c. the scientific method
d. available data
Quiz – Question 3
Secondary data isa. the data that the same researcher collects at
a different point in time.
b. data that has been collected by someone else.
c. data that is not useful to the researcher.
d. None of the above