Question:
What are primary data and secondary data? Which of the two is more reliable and why?
Solution:
Primary data: The data collected by the investigator himself with a definite plan in mind are known as primary data.
Secondary data: The data collected by someone other than the investigator are known as secondary data.
Primary data are highly reliable and relevant because they are collected by the investigator himself with a definite plan in mind, whereas secondary data are collected with a purpose different from that of the investigator and may not be fully relevant to the investigation.