By Susan Song - Jetek Staff
Primary data
Data observed and recorded or gathered directly from the respondents in the current research project.
Primary data is first-hand data observed and recorded or collected directly from respondents for the current research project.
These data must be gathered by observing phenomena or surveying people of interest.
Secondary data
Data was compiled inside and outside the organization for purposes other than the current investigation.
Secondary data include general reports supplied to an enterprise by various data services and internal and online databases.
The Internet has increased the amount of secondary data available exponentially, making research both more accessible and more complicated.
Now researchers are faced with the task of sorting through large volumes of secondary data, some of it of questionable quality, in order to find the information they need.
However, large and reputable publications and databases are useful. More than half of all marketing research now comes from secondary sources.
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