Page 1 - Lesson Note

Chapter – 3(Note -18)
Topic- Collection of Data

Statistical enquiry

By statistical enquiry we meanAn investigation on a topic by any agency wherein relevant
quantitative information is collected.
A variable refers to Quantity or attribute whose value varies from one investigation to another.
Sources of data
Broadly there are two main sources of data and internal sources and external sources.
*Internal sources refers to a situation in an organisation when the data is collected from its reports
and records.

*External sources of data refers to the data collected from outside the organisation.

Primary and secondary data
Primary data
*Primary data are those data which are collected for the first time by an investigator or agency for
some specific purpose
*The source from which the primary data are collected is called primary sources
*Such data is original in character and all these are collected for the first time
*This provides the first hand information for example population census conducted by comment of
India is a primary data primary data was collected and published becomes secondary data.
Secondary data
*Data which are not directly collected but rather obtained from the published or unpublished
sources are called secondary data
*Such dataOr known as the second hand data
*They are simply make use of the data collected by others
*National accounts statistics published by CSO economic survey published by garment of India are
some examples of the secondary data.

Methods of collecting primary data

There are various methods of collecting primary data they are-
1.Direct personal investigation
2.Telephonic interviews
3.Mailed questionnaire method

1. *Direct personal investigation is otherwise known as personal interviews under this method
the investigator collects data by having direct contact with the informant and conduct on the
spot enquiry in other words the investigator has to go to the field personally contact the
respondents And convince them in giving the information understudy.
*Under this method the interviewer has the opportunity of explaining the study and
answering any query of the respondents
*The interviewer can request the respondent to expand the answers that are particularly .
important the visual reactions of the respondents can provide supplementary information

Suitability of this method-