SAMPLING

TECHNIQUES
POPULATION
A population is the total of all the individuals who have certain characteristics and are of
interest to a researcher.
Community college students, race car drivers, teachers, college-level athletes, and disabled
war veterans.
Composed of two groups - target population & accessible population
Target Population:
• All institutionalized elderly with Alzheimer's
• All people with AIDS
• All low birth weight infants
• All school-age children with asthma

Accessible population
the portion of the population to which the researcher has reasonable access; may be a
subset of the target population May be limited to region, city, county, or institution
Examples
• All institutionalized elderly with Alzheimer's in Metropolitan cities
• All people with AIDS in rural areas of Punjab
• All low birth weight infants admitted to the Government Hospitals
• All school-age children with asthma treated in pediatric asthma clinics in
university-affiliated medical centers in the Midwest
CENSUS

. . . primary data is collected

from every member of the
target population.

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SAMPLES
Having clearly identified a thesis statement or
question, as well as the population, variables and
type of data involved, a researcher can begin to
conduct his or her study

It is impossible (from both a strategic and a

resource perspective) to study all the members of
a population for a research project.

To conduct research, data from a sample must be

collected, which could involve medical testing,
laboratory analyses, surveys, etc.
SAMPLES - CONTINUED
The sample must be:
1. representative of the population;
2. appropriately sized (the larger the better);
3. unbiased;
4. random (selections occur by chance);
The above criteria are interrelated.
 SELECTING SAMPLES
Population, sample and individual cases

Source: Saunders et al. (2009)

Figure 7.1 Population, sample and individual cases
THE NEED TO SAMPLE

Sampling- a valid alternative to a census when

A survey of the entire population is impracticable

Budget constraints restrict data collection

Time constraints restrict data collection

Results from data collection are needed quickly

BASICS OF SAMPLING
A sample is a “part Samples offer many benefits:
of a whole to Save costs: Less expensive to study the
show what the sample than the population.
rest is like”. Save time: Less time needed to study the
Sampling helps to sample than the population .
determine the Accuracy: Since sampling is done with care
corresponding and studies are conducted by skilled and
value of the qualified interviewers, the results are
population and expected to be accurate.
plays a vital role in Destructive nature of elements: For some
research. elements, sampling is the way to test,
since tests destroy the element itself.
DETERMINATION OF SAMPLE SIZE
Sample size may be determined by using:
 Subjective methods (less sophisticated methods)
 The rule of thumb approach: eg. 5% of population
 Conventional approach: eg. Average of sample sizes of similar other studies;
 Cost basis approach: The number that can be studied with the available funds;
 Statistical formulae (more sophisticated methods)
 Confidence interval approach.
 SAMPLE SIZE - LARGE POPULATIONS

Sample Sizes
% Margin of Error 95% Confidence 99% Confidence
Table 1
±1 9,604 16,590
±2 2,401 4,148
±3 1,068 1,844
±4 601 1,037
±5 385 664
±6 267 461
±7 196 339
±8 151 260
±9 119 250
± 10 97 166

Source :Parker & Rea, Designing and Conducting Research

 SAMPLE SIZE - SMALL POPULATIONS

Sample Sizes
Table 2 95% Level of Confidence 99% Level of Confidence
N ± 3% ± 5% ± 10% ± 3% ± 5% ± 10%
500 250 218 81 250 250 124
1000 500 278 88 500 399 143
1500 624 306 91 750 460 150
2,000 696 323 92 959 498 154
3,000 788 341 94 1,142 544 158
5,000 880 357 95 1,347 586 161
10,000 965 370 96 1,556 622 164
20,000 1,014 377 96 1,687 642 165
50,000 1,045 382 96 1,777 655 166
100,000 1,058 383 96 1,809 659 166

Source : Parker & Rea, Designing and Conducting Research

SAMPLE SIZE DETERMINATION USING STATISTICAL FORMULAE:
THE CONFIDENCE INTERVAL APPROACH

To determine sample sizes using statistical formulae,

researchers use the confidence interval approach based on
the following factors:
 Desired level of data precision or accuracy;
 Amount of variability in the population (homogeneity);
 Level of confidence required in the estimates of population values.

Availability of resources such as money, manpower and time

may prompt the researcher to modify the computed sample
size.
Students are encouraged to consult any standard marketing
research textbook to have an understanding of these formulae.
 OVERVIEW OF SAMPLING TECHNIQUES

Figure 7.2 Sampling techniques

RANDOM SAMPLING METHODS

1. Simple Random Sampling

all individuals in the population have an equal

likelihood of being chosen;

for example, number all students and select the

numbers from a hat (minimize the level of
control that the researcher has).
RANDOM SAMPLING METHODS

2. Systematic Random Sampling

used when you are sampling a fixed percentage of the

population;

randomly select a starting point, then select every nth individual;

n is referred to as the sampling interval

(n = pop size/sample size);

for example, number all students in a list, randomly select a

starting point in the list, and select every nth individual.
RANDOM SAMPLING METHODS

3. Stratified Random Sampling

 population is divided into strata, or groups;

 randomly select members of each stratum (the number selected is

proportional to the stratum’s size);

 Proportionate allocation uses a sampling fraction in each of the strata

that is proportional to that of the total population. For instance, if the
population X consists of m in the male stratum and f in the female
stratum (where m + f = X), then the relative size of the two samples
(x1 = m/X males, x2 = f/X females) should reflect this proportion.
RANDOM SAMPLING METHODS
4. Cluster Random Sampling
 population is organized into groups;
 groups are randomly selected, and all members of the
group are sampled;
 for example, divide our school into homerooms,
randomly select homerooms, and sample all students in
selected homerooms.
RANDOM SAMPLING METHODS
5. Multi-Stage Random Sampling
 population is organized into groups;
 randomly select groups, and then randomly select members in these
groups (an equal number selected per group);
 for example, repeat the steps for Cluster Random Sampling, but then
randomly select students in each selected homeroom.
 1. DETERMINE THE TYPE OF
SAMPLING METHOD USED IN EACH
SCENARIO.

a) The Ontario government randomly selects five

high schools in Ontario and surveys each
teacher in those schools.

Cluster random sampling

b) You wish to survey 100 employees at Trillium Shopping Plaza (contains 216 stores).
You randomly select 10 stores, then randomly select 10 employees from each store.

Multi-staged Random Sample

c) Every fiftieth family in the Unionville telephone book is surveyed by phone.

Systematic Random Sample

 Sampling
Nonprobability Sampling
Nonprobability

Convenience
Convenience Sampling
Sampling

Judgment
Judgment Sampling
Sampling

Quota
Quota Sampling
Sampling

Snowball
Snowball Sampling
Sampling

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Summary of Comparative Differences between
Probability and Nonprobability Sampling
Methods

10-24
NONPROBABILITY SAMPLING
METHODS
Convenience
Conveniencesampling
sampling ...... relies
relies
upon
uponconvenience
convenienceand
andaccess.
access.

Judgment
Judgment sampling
sampling .. .. ..relies
relies upon
uponbelief
belief
that
that participants
participants fit
fit characteristics.
characteristics.

Quota
Quotasampling
sampling .. .... emphasizes
emphasizesrepresentation
representationof
of
specific
specificcharacteristics.
characteristics.

Snowball
Snowball sampling
sampling .. .. ..relies
relies upon
uponrespondent
respondent
referrals
referrals of
ofothers
otherswith
withlikelikecharacteristics.
characteristics.

10-25
SNOWBALL SAMPLING
Is commonly used when it is difficult to identify members
of desired population. For example people who are
working while claiming unemployment benefit you
therefore, need to:
1. Make contact with one or two cases in the population.
2. Ask these cases to identify further cases.
3. Ask theses new cases to identify further new cases
(and so on)
4. Stop when either no new cases are given or the sample
is as large as manageable
SELF SELECTING SAMPLING
It occurs when you allow each case usually individuals, to identify their desire to take part
in the research you therefore
1. Publicize your need for cases, either by advertising through appropriate media or by
asking them to take part.
2. Collect data from those who respond
 CONVENIENCE SAMPLING
Convenience sampling (or haphazard sampling) involves selecting
haphazardly those cases that are easiest to obtain for your
sample, such as the person interviewed at random in a shopping
centre for a television programme or the book about
entrepreneurship you find at the airport.

The sample selection process is continued until your required

sample size has been reached.

Although this technique of sampling is used widely, it is prone to

bias and influences that are beyond your control, as the cases
appear in the sample only because of the ease of obtaining them.
QUOTA SAMPLING
Quota sampling is the non probability version of stratified sampling. In stratified
sampling, subsets of the population are created so that each subset has a common
characteristic, such as gender. Random sampling chooses a number of subjects from
each subset with, unlike a quota sample, each potential subject having a known
probability of being selected.