POLI 2P80 Lecture Notes - Sampling Frame, Nonprobability Sampling, Stratified Sampling
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We should collect a sample that is representative to the population you are studying representative: the sample has the same characteristic as the population. Example: instead of surveying every brock university student, a researcher will select a small number of brock students: selecting only female chys majors may be a problem, it is not representative of all brock students. It is important to be inclusive and reflect the community we wish to study. An unrepresentative sample can (and likely will) lead to a biased or inaccurate result: furthermore, it is not accurate (it misses the target) Non-probability sampling: non-probability in this case means non-random, a researcher usually has a set population they wish to study and a set number of cases to include. Probability sampling: probability sampling almost always strives for and element of randomness, randomness is achieved by calculating the population size and sample ratio.