RESEARCH METHODOLOGY - USING ONLINE TECHNOLOGY FOR SECONDARY ANALYSISOF SURVEY-RESEARCH DATA - ACT GLOBALLY, THINK LOCALLY

The purpose of the this article is to discuss the impact that online t echnologies are having and will continue to have on the way secondary analysis of survey research is performed. The authors discuss the vali dity of secondary analysis of survey research studies and the effect t hat online technology has on such analyses. Before reviewing current o nline public opinion sources, the authors make the argument that onlin e services are becoming increasingly important for secondary analysis. Finally, the authors present a model indicating where online services can go in the future given the technology that is available today. Ul timately, it is believed that the Internet is currently underexploited for its capacity to aid secondary analysis. The authors advocate maki ng survey data more easily available online to all potential users. Th is entails varying the format and depth of data so that users find sou rces suitable to their needs. It also entails the use of desktop techn ology to store and analyze survey research data and making that techno logy, or the applications that are developed through that technology, available to other users via computer networks, primarily via the Inte rnet.