Producing Data

3. Sources of data

3.2 Generating your own data

3.2.2. Generating data from observations

i. Case studies and Surveys

When you are trying not to influence the process about which you are obtaining information, or you cannot influence the process about which you want to obtain information, you would want to use an observational study. Observational studies include methods such as case studies and surveys.

Case studies

Case studies usually involve the observer working very intensively with a small group of participants. As a method of study, case studies allow you to build up a very detailed account. If you want to examine something in detail, then case studies can be useful.

Surveys

Surveys are designed to develop a broader picture about a population and so they usually involve much larger numbers of participants. Observers can try to obtain information from all members of a population by surveying all of them. This is called a census. However, generating data using a census is usually very expensive and it may be difficult to survey all units. Think of some of the difficulties that census takers for the Australian census face. How do you survey homeless people, for example, and what happens if people are away when the census is being taken? To obtain the information about a population it is often better to sample the population in some way

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