SLOVIN’S FORMULA

• If you take a population sample, you must use a

formula to figure out what sample size you need
to take. If a sample is taken from a population, a
formula must be used to take into account
confidence levels and margins of error. When
taking statistical samples, sometimes a lot is
known about a population, sometimes a little and
sometimes nothing at all.
• When it is not possible to study an entire
population (such as the population of the
Philippines), a smaller sample is taken using a
random sampling technique. Slovin's formula
allows a researcher to sample the population
with a desired degree of accuracy.
Slovin’s Formula…

• It gives the researcher an idea of how large his sample

size needs to be to ensure a reasonable accuracy of
results.

• That’s when you can use Slovin’s formula to figure out

what sample size you need to take, which is written as
n = N / (1 + Ne2)
• where
• n = Number of samples,
• N = Total population
• e = Error tolerance
SLOVIN’S FORMULA…
• Sample Calculation:
1. A group of students want to know the age of
students in a high school but do not have the resources
to survey an entire population of 2,500. If they want to
use a sample with a 5% margin of error, what should
their sample size be?
Given:
N = 2,500
e = 5% = 0.05
Required: n = ?
Solution:
n = N / ( 1 + (N*e^2))
n = 2500 / ( 1 + (2500*.05^2))
n = 2500 / 7.25
n = 344.83 ~ 345
 SLOVIN’S FORMULA…
2. What sample of a population of 1,000 people you
need to take for a survey on their soda preferences.

Step 1: Figure out what you want your confidence

level to be. For example, you may be happy with a
confidence level of 95 percent (which will give you a
margin of error of 0.05), or you may require a
tighter or better accuracy at the 98 percent
confidence level (which produces a margin of error
of 0.02).
SLOVIN’S FORMULA…

Step 2. Plug your data into the formula. In this

example, we’ll use a 95 percent confidence level
with a population size of 1,000.
n = N / (1 + N e2)
1,000 / (1 + 1000 * 0.05 2)
285.714286
SLOVIN’S FORMULA…

Step 3: Round your answer to a whole

number (because you can’t sample a fraction of
a person or thing!)
285.714286 = 286
SLOVIN’S FORMULA…

"A researcher plans to get 588 sample units

from population N using a 4% margin of error.
What is the value of N?"
 SAMPLE SIZE
SAMPLE SIZE DEPENDS ON DIFFERENT FACTORS:
1. COST & TIME CONSTRAINT
2. DEGREE OF PRECISION NEEDED
a. LARGER SAMPLES WILL PROVIDE MORE PRECISED
ESTIMATES OF THE POPULATION PARAMETER
b. MORE HETEROGENEOUS POPULATION REQUIRE
LARGER SAMPLE SIZE
c. THE LARGER THE SAMPLE , THE MORE NARROW
THE CONFIDENCE INTERVALS
d. THE MORE REPRESENTATIVE THE SAMPLE,THE
MORE VALID THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE SURVEY