Official statistics

1. What is the main source of official statistics?

• Day-to-day activities of government departments
• Personal surveys conducted by sociologists
• Private research agencies
• Interpretive research methods

2. Why do positivists prefer to use official statistics?

• Because they are difficullt to manipulate
• Because they deliver large-scale, representative, quantitative data
• Because they are collected by unreliable methods
• Because they are based on qualitative data

3. What do "hard" statistics refer to?

• Simple counts of events like births and deaths
• Complex statistical analyses
• Statistics that are difficult to manipulate
• Qualitative data

4. What is one advantage of using official statistics?

• They are easily manipulated and can be biased
• They are usually based on a very large sample
• They require sociologists to conduct their own surveys
• They are not readily available

6. Why are "soft" statistics considered less reliable?

• Because they are based on qualitative data
• Because they are less representative and more easily manipulated
• Because they are collected by sociologists
• Because they are used for "hard" statistics

7. What is one problem with the reliability of official statistics?

• Recording errors and inaccuracies
• They are based on objective reality
• They are collected by reliable methods
• They are easily accessible and understandable

8. According to Marxists, how can official statistics be politically biased?

• By reflecting ruling-class interests and ideology
• By being based on objective data
• By being collected by interpretive researchers
• By being collected by sociologists

9. Why do interpretivists argue that official statistics are social constructs?

• Because they are collected by unreliable methods
• Because they are simple counts of events
• Because they are based on qualitative data
• Because they are influenced by social processes of negotiation

10. Which type of statistic is considered to be more accurate?

• "Hard" statistics
• "Soft" statistics
• Both types have the same level of accuracy
• Neither type can accurately represent reality