Which statement about secondary data is true?

• A. It is data collected for another purpose
• B. It is data collected first-hand by the assessment team
• C. It is primarily qualitative
• D. It is not reliable for planning

Answer: (A)

Secondary data are information that already exists and was collected for purposes other than your current assessment. Because it wasn’t gathered firsthand by your team, you’re using records, reports, datasets, or published statistics that someone else compiled. This makes the statement true: it is data collected for another purpose.

Using secondary data can be quick and inexpensive and helpful for understanding trends, planning programs, and identifying needs. It’s useful to check its relevance, timeliness, coverage, and quality before relying on it for decisions. Secondary data can be either quantitative or qualitative, depending on the source, and it is not inherently unreliable for planning—its usefulness depends on how well the data fit your planning questions and how rigorously you assess its limitations.