Secondary Data

1. Secondary Data Old Newspapers Historical Documents Census Data Data Collected by State or National Government Data Collected by Colleagues

2. Secondary data • Definition • Secondary data includes any data that is used for a purpose other than that for which it was originally collected. • Examples of commonly used secondary data sets are listed on slide 3. But secondary data also includes historical documents, intensive interviews etc.

3. Secondary data • Pros • It is generally much less expensive to use data collected by someone else than to collect it yourself. • It is time efficient. • It allows you to use data that you could not afford to collect yourself (i.e., census data). • It allows you to do historical analysis even though you were not yet born when the data was collected.

4. Secondary data • Cons • Limited to data already collected by someone else • Limited to their original sample size and the indicators they used. • Not tailored to your specific research question and/or hypothesis(es). • May be difficult to gain access to data. Other researchers may charge you money to us their data set or not allow you to use it at all. • It is often “old” news. Generally you are allowed access AFTER the researchers have finished their analysis.

5. Secondary Data Sets • Census • Adolescent Health Data Set • General Social Survey • National Survey of Family Growth • National Survey of Youth and Education There are universities throughout the US that have been designated as research centers containing numerous secondary data sets. One of the closest ones to us is Texas A&M. For more information contact Dr. Mark Fossett.

6. Contact Information • Dr. Carol Albrecht • Assessment Specialist • USU Extension • 979-777-2421 • Carol.albrecht@usu.edu