Learn in the textbookData Types by Data Format and Source of Origin
DefinitionSurvey data (調査データ) is data gathered by examining the current situation through questionnaires or observation, without changing anything about the subject.
ExplanationYou can ask people questions and collect their answers, or count and record what you see on site. Since no conditions are changed, it suits getting a picture of actual conditions and how opinions are spread. Even when two things move together, however, it is hard to confirm whether one causes the other.
AnalogyIt is like a notebook you carry around town, counting shops and asking passersby what they like, writing things down just as they are.
Memory hookThe English word survey originally meant to look over from above, so think of it as data that looks over things to capture how they are now.