Primary Data
and Secondary Data:
Primary Data: Data which are
collected for the first time for a specific purpose are known as Primary data. For example: Population census, National
income collected by government, Textile Bulletin (Monthly), Reserve bank of
India Bulletin (Monthly) etc.
Secondary Data: Data which are
collected by someone else, used in investigation are knows as Secondary data.
Data are primary to the collector, but secondary to the user. For example: Statistical abstract of the
Indian Union, Monthly abstract of statistics, Monthly statistical digest,
International Labour Bulletin (Monthly).
Methods of collecting
primary data:
a) Schedule and Questionnaire:
- A Questionnaire is simply a list of questions in a printed
sheet relating to survey which the investigators asks to the informants and the
answers of the informants are noted down against the respective questions on
the sheet. Choice of questions is a very important parts of the enquiry
whatever its nature. Data under this method are collected in any of the
following way:
(i)
By sending the questionnaire to the persons
concerned with a request to answer the question and return the questionnaire.
(ii)
By sending the questionnaire through enumerators
for helping the informants.
b) Direct
Personal observation: - This is a
very general method of collecting primary data. Here the investigator directly
contacts the informants, solicits their cooperation and enumerates the data.
The information is collected by direct personal interviews. The novelty of this
method is its simplicity. It is neither difficult for the enumerator nor the
informants. Because both are present at the spot of data collection. This
method provides most accurate information as the investigator collects them
personally. But as the investigator alone is involved in the process, his
personal bias may influence the accuracy of the data. So it is necessary that
the investigator should be honest, unbiased and experienced.