Researchers use the random sampling whenever the following conditions are met:

(1) Every element in our population has a nonzero probability of being selected as part of the
sample.

(2) We have accurate knowledge of this probability, known as the inclusion probability, for each
element in the sampling frame.

If both of these criteria are met, it is possible to obtain unbiased results about the population from
studying the sample. To obtain unbiased results, it may sometimes be necessary to use weighting
methods; such weighting is possible precisely because we know each individual's probability of being
included in the sample. Samples obtained under these conditions are also known as random
samples.

Once we have our sampling frame, the random sampling method defines the exact method we will
use to select our sample; for example, simple random sampling, systematic sampling, stratified
sampling, disproportional stratified sampling, cluster sampling, and so on.

However, simple random sampling can be challenging to implement in practice. To use this method,
there are some prerequisites:

 We can use it when we have a complete list of every member of the population.
 When we can contact or access each member of the population if they are selected.
 When we have the time and resources to collect data from the necessary sample size.

Simple random sampling works best if you have a lot of time and resources to conduct your study, or
if you are studying a limited population that can easily be sampled.

Non Random Sampling:

It’s not easy to meet the criteria imposed by random sampling:

(1) It is relatively unusual to have a sampling frame available to you when you’re conducting market
studies.

(2) Ensuring that every individual in a population has a nonzero probability of being selected is just
as difficult to accomplish; knowing every sampling unit’s exact inclusion probability is even more
difficult. The individuals that cannot be selected as part of a sample are generally referred to as
excluded units.

For these reasons—and to minimize costs—researchers often turn to other sampling methods,
known as nonrandom sampling. When using these alternative methods, researchers generally select
elements for the sample based on hypotheses about the population of interest, known as selection
criteria. For example, if we’re selecting our sample by stopping people on the street, attempting to
stop an equal number of men and women (to coincide with the presumed gender distribution in the
population) would be a criterion of nonrandom sampling.

In these cases, since the selection of units for the sample isn’t random, we shouldn’t talk about error
estimates. In other words, a nonrandom sample tells us about a population, but we don’t know how
precisely: we can’t determine a margin of error or a confidence level.