A purposive sample, also commonly called a judgmental sample, is one that is selected

based on the knowledge of a population and the purpose of the study. The subjects are
selected because of some characteristic.

Field researchers are often interested in studying extreme or deviant cases – that is, cases
that don’t fit into regular patterns of attitudes and behaviors. By studying the deviant
cases, researchers can often gain a better understanding of the more regular patterns of
behavior. This is where purposive sampling often takes place. For instance, if a
researcher is interested in learning more about students at the top of their class, he or she
is going to sample those students who fall into the "top of the class" category. They will
be purposively selected because they meet a certain characteristic.

Purposive sampling can be very useful for situations where you need to reach a targeted
sample quickly and where sampling for proportionality is not the main concern.

Examples

If a researcher is studying the nature of school spirit as exhibited at a school pep rally, he or she
might interview people who did not appear to be caught up in the emotions of the crowd or
students who did not attend the rally at all. In this case, the researcher is using a purposive
sample because those being interviewed fit a specific purpose or description.

Researchers (typically market researchers) who you might often see at a mall carrying a
clipboard and stopping various people to interview are often conducting research using
purposive sampling. They may be looking for and stopping only those people who meet certain
characteristics. For instance, if they are interested in the opinions of Hispanic females between
20 and 30 years old, they would stop the people passing by who look like they fit this
description. One of the first things the researcher will do in this situation is verify that the
respondent does in fact meet the characteristics or criteria for being included in the sample. If
they do, the researcher will ask them the rest of the survey questions. If they do not meet the
criteria, the researcher will likely send them on their way.

Purposive sampling
Purposive sampling, also known as judgmental, selective or subjective sampling, is a
type of non-probability sampling technique. Non-probability sampling focuses on
sampling techniques where the units that are investigated are based on the judgement of
the researcher [see our articles: Non-probability sampling to learn more about non-
probability sampling, and Sampling: The basics, for an introduction to terms such as
units, cases and sampling]. There are a number of different types of purposive sampling,
each with different goals. This article explains (a) what purposive sampling is, (b) the
eight of the different types of purposive sampling, (c) how to create a purposive sample,
and (d) the broad advantages and disadvantages of purposive sampling.