Difference Between Primary and Secondary Data

Data collection plays a very crucial role in the statistical analysis. In research, there are different methods used to gather information, all of which fall into two categories, i.e. primary data, and secondary data. As the name suggests, primary data is one which is collected for the first time by the researcher while secondary data is the data already collected or produced by others.

There are many differences between primary and secondary data, which are discussed in this article. But the most important difference is that primary data is factual and original whereas secondary data is just the analysis and interpretation of the primary data. While primary data is collected with an aim for getting solution to the problem at hand, secondary data is collected for other purposes.

Content: Primary Data Vs Secondary Data

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Video
5. Conclusion

Comparison Chart

Basis for Comparison	Primary Data	Secondary Data
Meaning	Primary data refers to the first hand data gathered by the researcher himself.	Secondary data means data collected by someone else earlier.
Data	Real time data	Past data
Process	Very involved	Quick and easy
Source	Surveys, observations, experiments, questionnaire, personal interview, etc.	Government publications, websites, books, journal articles, internal records etc.
Cost effectiveness	Expensive	Economical
Collection time	Long	Short
Specific	Always specific to the researcher's needs.	May or may not be specific to the researcher's need.
Available in	Crude form	Refined form
Accuracy and Reliability	More	Relatively less

Definition of Primary Data

Primary data is data originated for the first time by the researcher through direct efforts and experience, specifically for the purpose of addressing his research problem. Also known as the first hand or raw data. Primary data collection is quite expensive, as the research is conducted by the organisation or agency itself, which requires resources like investment and manpower. The data collection is under direct control and supervision of the investigator.

The data can be collected through various methods like surveys, observations, physical testing, mailed questionnaires, questionnaire filled and sent by enumerators, personal interviews, telephonic interviews, focus groups, case studies, etc.

Definition of Secondary Data

Secondary data implies second-hand information which is already collected and recorded by any person other than the user for a purpose, not relating to the current research problem. It is the readily available form of data collected from various sources like censuses, government publications, internal records of the organisation, reports, books, journal articles, websites and so on.

Secondary data offer several advantages as it is easily available, saves time and cost of the researcher. But there are some disadvantages associated with this, as the data is gathered for the purposes other than the problem in mind, so the usefulness of the data may be limited in a number of ways like relevance and accuracy.

Moreover, the objective and the method adopted for acquiring data may not be suitable to the current situation. Therefore, before using secondary data, these factors should be kept in mind.

Video: Primary Vs Seconday Data

Conclusion

As can be seen from the above discussion that primary data is an original and unique data, which is directly collected by the researcher from a source according to his requirements. As opposed to secondary data which is easily accessible but are not pure as they have undergone through many statistical treatments.