Secondary Sources of Data: Quantitative Methods (AQA A Level Sociology): Flashcards
Exam code: 7192
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- FrontOfficial Statistics
Define official statistics.
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Cards in this collection (15)
Define official statistics.
Official statistics are quantitative data collected and published by government agencies, e.g. birth rates, unemployment and crime figures.
Give two ways official statistics are produced.
Official statistics are produced through registration, e.g. of births and deaths, and official surveys, such as the UK Census; government reports are another source.
True or False?
Official statistics are a primary source of data for sociologists.
False.
Sociologists use official statistics as a secondary source: government agencies, not the researcher, collect the data.
Why do positivists favour official statistics?
Positivists favour official statistics because they see them as reliable, objective and representative.
Positivists treat official statistics as 'social ................' that can be measured and compared scientifically.
Positivists treat official statistics as 'social facts' that can be measured and compared scientifically.
How did Durkheim use official statistics?
Durkheim used suicide statistics to explore levels of social integration.
Why do interpretivists see official statistics as socially constructed?
Interpretivists see official statistics as socially constructed because they are shaped by the values and decisions of officials, rather than the people surveyed.
According to interpretivists, what do crime statistics reflect instead of reality?
Interpretivists argue that crime statistics reflect policing priorities, public willingness to report and how data is recorded.
True or False?
Marxists see official statistics as free from ideology.
False.
Marxists argue official statistics serve ideological purposes, e.g. crime statistics may downplay state crime or exaggerate working-class crime.
Why are official statistics often highly representative?
Official statistics are often highly representative because they are based on whole populations, e.g. the census, which increases the generalisability of findings.
Official statistics are reliable because they use ...................... definitions and consistent methods, allowing replication.
Official statistics are reliable because they use standardised definitions and consistent methods, allowing replication.
Why do domestic violence statistics lack validity?
Domestic violence statistics lack validity because they underreport actual incidents, so they do not measure what they claim to.
True or False?
Official statistics raise few ethical issues for sociologists.
True.
Because the data already exist, there are no issues around informed consent or harm to participants.
What is the lack of insight criticism of official statistics?
The lack of insight criticism is that figures such as unemployment or divorce rates do not reveal the personal meanings or experiences behind these events.
Why do divorce statistics have limited relevance for some research?
Divorce statistics have limited relevance because they show legal endings of marriage but not separations or unhappy marriages.
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