Part II Collecting and analysing data Chapter 7: Collecting primary data KEY QUESTIONS • What is primary data? • How can primary data be collected? • How are direct observations, surveys, interviews and focus groups conducted? • What is a rights-based approach to primary data collection? INTRODUCTION While secondary data is an invaluable resource, it is often incomplete. Further, secondary data collected by governments and international agencies often focuses on issues at the “macro” level. It is often not specific enough to be useful in analysing issues at a local level. For this reason, it may be necessary to collect primary data, including on a local scale. Primary data is “first-hand” data, meaning it is collected by the researcher for the specific task at hand. Collecting primary data is often time consuming. It can also be resource intensive. However, it is an extremely useful tool for rights monitoring because you have control over the research and the data collected. You can address the specific research issues that you wish to analyse. You have absolute control over the research methods, or the manner in which this data is collected. You can also choose to focus on qualitative or quantitative approaches, or both. Primary data can be collected and analysed according to a variety of different research methods, including direct observation, surveys or focus group discussions. These methods are introduced in this chapter. It also examines some of the challenges associated with them. 7.1. HOW IS PRIMARY DATA COLLECTED? Primary data can be collected using a number of different methods, which produce both quantitative and qualitative data. 7.1.1. Direct observations Direct observations can be a useful method for collecting primary data. Instead of asking someone how much water they use, for example, a researcher could simply read the water meter. This has the advantage of minimizing any bias on behalf of the research subjects. However, without interviews or focus groups to add analytical depth – in other words, without talking to people about their access to water – researchers run the risk of missing important aspects of the story. Both qualitative and quantitative data can be collected through direct observation. For example, if you are collecting data about a hospital, you might describe the condition of a hospital building (qualitative) or count the medicine it has in stock (quantitative). Chapter 7: Collecting primary data | 71