Hi Alaisya
Higher order filters are more complex to design, take up more space (for analog filters) and have greater loss, but have sharper transitions between pass and stop bands.So, it is upto you to choose between the trade-off of How much complexity and cost you want to put into the filter vs. How quick the transition from pasband to stop band is.
Also, 2nd order active filtering has two main advantages:
1: High impedance input, low impedance output
2: greater attenuation at high range (-40dB/decade as opposed to -20dB/decade for RC filter)
