COLLECTION OF DATA Primary & Secondary data

Primary data Primary data are obtained by a study specifically designed to fulfill the data needs of the problem at hand. i.e. When the investigator collects first hand data for the problem at hand, such data are known as primary data. Primary data are original in character. Example: Surveys conducted mostly by Government and also by some individuals, institutions and research bodies. Example: Data obtained in a population census by the office of the Registrar general and Census commissioner, Ministry of home affairs are primary data.

Secondary data Data which are not originally collected but rather obtained from published or unpublished sources are known as secondary data. Example: For the office of the registrar general and census commissioner, the census data are primary whereas for all others, who use such data, they are secondary. The difference between primary and secondary data is only of degree i.e. data which are primary in the hands of one become secondary in the hands of another. Data are primary for the individual agency or institution collecting them whereas for the rest of the world they are secondary.

Methods of collecting primary data 1.Direct personal interview. 2.Indirect oral interview. 3.Information from correspondents. 4.Mailed questionnaire method. 5.Schedules sent through enumerators.

1.Direct Personal Interview Under this method of collecting data, there is a face to face contact with the persons from whom the information is to be obtained. The interviewer asks them questions pertaining to the survey and collects the desired information. Example: If a person wants to collect data about the working conditions of the workers of Birla textile mill, Delhi, he would go to the mill, contact the workers and obtain the desired information. The information thus obtained is first hand or original in character.

Merits 1.Response is more encouraging as most people are willing to supply information when approached personally. 2.The information obtained by this method is likely to be more accurate. 3.The language of communication can be adjusted to the status and educational level of the person interviewed, thus avoiding inconvenience and misinterpretation on the part of the informant.

Limitations 1.It may be very costly where the number of persons to be interviewed is large and they are spread over a large area. 2.The interviewers have to be thoroughly trained and supervised. 3.More time is required for collecting information by this method as compared to others.

2.Indirect Oral Interview Under this method of collecting data, the investigator contacts third parties called witnesses capable of supplying the necessary information. The method is generally adopted in those cases where the informants are not inclined to respond if approached directly. Example: In an enquiry regarding addiction to drugs, alcohol etc. people may be reluctant to supply information about their own habits. It would be necessary in that case to get the desired information from those dealing in drugs, liquor or other people who may be knowing them, for example, their neighbors, friends etc.

Indirect Oral Interview Similarly clues about thefts or murders are obtained by the police by interrogating third parties who are supposed to have knowledge about the case under investigation. For the success of this method, it is necessary that the evidence of one person alone is not relied upon. The views of a number of persons should be ascertained to find the real position. Utmost care must be exercised in the selection of these persons because it is on their views that the final conclusions are reached.

3. Information from Correspondents Under this method, the investigator appoints local agents or correspondents in different places to collect information. These correspondents collect and transmit the information to the central office where the data are processed. Newspaper agencies generally adopt this method. Correspondents in different places supply information relating to such events as accidents, riots, strikes etc. to the head office. The correspondents may be paid or honorary persons but generally they are paid.

Information from Correspondents The special advantage of this method is that it is cheap and appropriate for extensive investigation. However, it may not always ensure accurate results because of the personal prejudice and bias of the correspondents.

4. Mailed Questionnaire Method Under this method, a list of questions pertaining to the survey is prepared and sent to the various informants by post. The questionnaire contains questions and provides space for answers. Request is made to the informants through a covering letter to fill up the questionnaire and send it back within a specified time.

Merits & Limitations Merits: 1.This method of collecting data can be easily adopted where the field of investigation is very vast and the informants are spread over a wide geographical area. 2. It is relatively cheap. Limitations: 1.This method can be adopted only where the informants are literate people so that they can understand written questions and send the answers in writing. 2.The information supplied by the informants may not be correct and it may be difficult verify the accuracy

5. Schedules sent through Enumerators Yet another method of collecting information is that of sending schedules through the enumerators or interviewers. The enumerators contact the informants, get replies to the questions contained in a schedule and fill them in their own handwriting in the questionnaire form. The essential difference between the mailed questionnaire method and this method is that whereas in the former the questionnaire is sent to the informants by post, in the latter the enumerators carry the schedule personally to the informants. The method is free from most of the limitations of the mailed questionnaire method.

Merits It can be adopted in those cases where informants are illiterate. There is very little non response as the enumerators go personally to obtain the information. The information received is more reliable.

Limitations The success of the method depends largely upon the training imparted to the enumerators. The way in which the enumerators conduct the interview would affect the data collected.

Sources of secondary data In most of the studies the investigator finds it impracticable to collect first hand information on all related issues and such makes use of the data collected by others. There is a vast amount of published information from which statistical studies may be made. The sources of secondary can be classified under two heads: 1.Published sources. 2.Unpublished sources.

Published sources The various sources of published data are: 1.Financial and Economic journals such as “Indian Economic Review”, “Reserve Bank of India Bulletin”, “Indian Finance”, etc. 2.Annual reports of joint stock companies and corporations etc. Some publications are published at regular intervals (Yearly, Monthly, Weekly etc.), whereas others are ad-hoc publications i.e. with no regularity about periodicity of publication.

Unpublished sources All statistical material is not always published. There are various sources of unpublished data such as records maintained by various Government and private offices, studies made by research institutions, scholars etc. Such sources can be used where necessary.