Secondary Analysis and the Relationship between Official and Academic Social Research

Abstract

This article outlines three connected trends over the past fifteen years in British social research: the establishment of a national data archive; the development of continuous and regular multi-purpose social surveys in government; and the emergence of secondary analysis as a distinctive new trend in social research. The combination of these three trends has led to an increase in academic research based on the secondary analysis of government surveys, most of it complementary to the uses made of these data inside government. Most recently collaborative research involving both research sectors has begun to emerge. These developments have helped to break down the boundaries between sociology and other social science disciplines, and also provide an avenue for a fruitful dialogue between professional social scientists in government and academic social scientists.