Sampling Techniques

By: RARG Ranaweera

BSc (Industrial Management)

Sampling
Sampling is a process by which we
study a small part of a population to
make judgments about the entire
population
Sampling involves selecting a
number of units from a defined
population.

Objective
To extract a sample which shows
similar characteristic as the
population it derives.

Population
mean
Population Standard
deviation

Sample mean
Sample Standard
deviation

Sampling Definitions
Sampling Unit
- The thing which is sampled, for
example, a person, a clinical episode, or a
health facility
Study Population
- All the sampling units which could
possible be included in the sample
Sampling Frame
- A list of all the available sampling units
in the study population

A Representative Sample
A representative sample has all the
important characteristics of the study
population from which it is drawn.

Sampling Methods
Two categories of sampling methods:
- Non probability sampling
- Probability sampling

Non Probability Sampling

Methods

Convenience Sampling
- study units available at the time of
data collection are selected for the
sample

Quota Sampling
In quota sampling the selection of the
sample is made by the interviewer, who has
been given quotas to fill from specified subgroups of the population.
Ex / For example, an interviewer may be
told to sample 50 females between the age
of 45 and 60.
There are similarities with stratified
sampling, but in quota sampling the
selection of the sample is non-random due
to the fact that interviewers preferences
may effect in the selection.

 Advantages
quick and cheap to organize

Disadvantages
not as representative of the population
as a whole as other sampling methods
because the sample is non-random it is
impossible to assess the possible
sampling error

Probability Sampling
Methods
Simple Random Sampling
Systematic Sampling
Cluster Sampling
Stratified Sampling
Multistage Sampling

Simple Random Sampling

A simple random sample gives each
member of the population an equal
chance of being chosen.
One way of achieving a simple random
sample is to number each element in
the sampling frame (e.g. give everyone
on the Electoral register a number) and
then use random numbers to select the
required sample.

 Advantages
Ideal for statistical purposes

Disadvantages
Hard to achieve in practice
Requires an accurate list of the whole
population
Expensive to conduct as those sampled
may be scattered over a wide area

Systematic Sampling
This is random sampling with a system. From
the sampling frame, a starting point is
chosen at random, and thereafter at regular
intervals.
Ex / For example, suppose you want to
sample 8 houses from a street of 120
houses. 120/8=15, so every 15th house is
chosen after a random starting point
between 1 and 15. If the random starting
point is 11, then the houses selected are 11,
26, 41, 56, 71, 86, 101, and 116.

 Advantages
Spreads the sample more evenly over the
population
Easier to conduct than a simple random
sample

Disadvantages
The system may interact with some hidden
pattern in the population

Ex/ every third house along the street might

always be the middle one of a terrace of
three

Cluster Sampling
The population is divided into
clusters, and some of these are then
chosen at random

Clusters to
select
samples from
each in any
previously
explained
method

 Advantages
Saving of traveling time, and
consequent reduction in cost
Useful for surveying employees in a
particular industry, where individual
companies can form the clusters

Disadvantages
Units close to each other may be very
similar and so less likely to represent the
whole population
Larger sampling error than simple
random sampling

Multi-stage Sampling
Perform one of the sampling method
to identify initial sample and apply
another sampling method or the
same method to further reduce the
sample size.

 Ex / Consider that you need to collect

data from the whole country regarding
some thing. Then you can dividing the
country into a number of regions. Some
of these are selected at random and
subdivided further, e.g. into rural,
suburban and inner city areas. Again
some of these are selected at random
and subdivided again, e.g. into
parliamentary wards and a further
random selection made. The process can
be repeated until individual households
or companies or units of interest are
identified.

Errors in Sampling

Sampling error
Sampling error or estimation error is
the error caused by observing a
sample instead of the whole
population

Sample Size

Sampling error will depend

on
The method used to draw the
sample.
The size of the sample.
The variance of the measure for
which sampling error is to be
determined.

Non Sampling Error

This is the most serious error than the
sampling error because it cant be reduced
by taking a larger sample.
There are three types of non sampling
error
Errors in data acquisition
Arise due to recording of incorrect responses.
Non response error
Arise when responses are not obtained from
some members of the samples
Selection bias
Arise when the sample plan is designed to
reduce the probability of including some
members of the population in to the sample.

Problem
Describe the way you will derive the
sample for these problems
Does the consumer pattern changes
according to the Income level of the
family in Sri Lanka
Want to reduce the traffic within the
Kandy city limits
Wants to develop a apartment building
complex in central province.

 Director operations asked to find a

method to reduce the inventory levels in
your (manufacturing) company
Want to develop a computer system for
your business.