Secondary Data Analysis

Abstract

Abstract Secondary data analysis is the method of using pre‐existing data to answer a new research question. Pre‐existing data useful to social scientists for secondary analyses may be generated by social science surveys, by government agencies and institutions at all levels, both national and international, and by private for‐profit and nonprofit organizations. Data collected for one purpose and then reanalyzed by the same researcher or research team to address a different research question can also be considered to involve secondary analysis. Thousands of large‐scale data sets are now available. The US Bureau of the Census and comparable agencies in many other nations conduct a decennial population census; many social scientists and many government agencies deposit data sets in the archive maintained by the University of Michigan's Inter‐University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR); many large survey projects funded by the US government make the resulting data available on their own Web sites. Qualitative data obtained from intensive interviews, observations, or documents are also increasingly being archived for reanalysis. Secondary data analysts benefit from some important advantages but also face some unique challenges. Problems can be lessened by reviewing data features and quality before deciding to develop an analysis of secondary data.