Which of the following is an example of secondary data in sociological research?

• A. Official statistics
• B. A questionnaire you design yourself
• C. An interview you conduct
• D. An observation you record

Answer: (A)

Understanding secondary data vs primary data helps here. Secondary data are records that someone else collected for a different purpose and that researchers reuse to answer new questions. Official statistics fit this perfectly because they’re produced by government agencies for administration, policy, or monitoring, not for your specific study. You’re using data that someone else gathered, not data you collected yourself.

In contrast, the other activities involve gathering new information directly from people or situations you’re studying. Designing a questionnaire, conducting an interview, or recording observations are all primary data—you create and control how the data are collected to fit your research question. Official statistics are valuable for spotting broad patterns and saving time, but they may not align exactly with your research aims or be perfectly up-to-date, which is why they’re classified as secondary data.