Strengths and Weaknesses of Primary and Secondary Data
|
Strengths |
Limitations |
Primary Data |
- Know that the data is reliable and valid
- The data is specific to the enquiry
- As much data as needed can be collected
- The method of the collection is known
- It is up to date
|
- Time-consuming
- May need specialist equipment/resources
- The sample size needs to be large to be accurate
|
Secondary Data
|
- Easy to access
- Low cost or free
- Can be accessed quickly
- A large amount of data sources are available
|
- It is not specific to the enquiry
- No control over the data quality
- Data may be biased
- Data may be out of date
|