SAMPLING

CONCEPTS
Sampling concepts
◦ A sample is a subset of individuals from a larger
population. Sampling means selecting the group that you
will actually collect data from in your research.
◦ In statistics, sampling allows you to test a hypothesis
about the characteristics of a population
 Defining the target population
◦ Before research can begin the target population must be identified and
agreed upon. The target population is the entire population, or group,
that a researcher is interested in researching and analysing.
◦ The target population is the master blueprint for the sample. It defines
(variable characteristics) the overall set or sets of all items (people in
market research) who will qualify for your study.
Representative Sample
◦ A representative sample is one technique that can be used
for obtaining insights and observations about a targeted
population group.
◦ Is a subset of the target group with a similar distribution of
relevant characteristics, in turn allowing us to generalise
from the sample to the target group with some justification.
Unrepresentative Sampling
(Gaming the system)
◦ An unrepresentative sample is one that does not reflect the
distribution of characteristics of the target group, cannot be
generalised to the target population, and is therefore
biased.