UNIT IV - Sampling Design

Census & Sample Survey

All the items in any field of inquiry constitute a Universe or Population
A complete enumeration of all items in the population is known as Census
Inquiry
Most times census inquiry is not practically possible
Sample Survey of a few items of the population
The respondents selected should be representative of the total
population
The samplin process is called the sampling technique
The survey so conducted is known as the sample survey
The researcher must prepare a sample desin for his study that is!
how a sample should be selected and what si"e such a sample would
be
Steps in Sample Design
The followin are crucial#
$% Type of Universe define the set of ob&ects! technically called the
Universe! to be studied
'% Sampling Unit samplin unit may be a eoraphical one (district!
city! villae) or it may be a social unit (family! club! school) or it may
an individual
*% Source List also known as +samplin frame, from which the sample
is to be drawn% -t contains all items of a universe
.% Size of Sample refers to the number of items to be selected from
the universe to constitute a sample/ a ma&or issue here is the si"e
should neither be e0cessively lare nor too small% An optimum sample
is one which fulfills the requirements of efficiency! representativeness!
reliability and fle0ibility
1% u!getary Constraint cost considerations have a ma&or impact
upon decisions relatin to the si"e of the sample
2% Sampling "roce!ure finally! the type of sample to be used! that is!
the technique to be used in selectin the items for the sample% There
are several sample desins! from which the researcher can choose%
Criteria of Selecting a sampling "roce!ure
There are two costs involved in a samplin analysis t#e cost of collecting
t#e !ata and t#e cost of an incorrect inference resulting from t#e
!ata
The researcher! therefore! must be aware of the two causes of incorrect
inferences#
a) 3ystematic bias
b) 3amplin error
A systematic bias results from errors in the samplin procedures and it
cannot be reduced or eliminated by increasin the sample si"e
Sampling Errors are the random variations in the sample estimates around
the true population% 4enerally! samplin errors decreases with the increase
in the si"e of the sample
Types of Sample Designs
All the sample desins are based on two factors the representation
basis and the element selection technique
$epresentation asis the sample may be probability samplin or non5
probability samplin% Probability samplin is based on the concept of random
selection/ non5probability samplin is non random samplin%
%lement Selection asis the sample may be either restricted or
unrestricted% Unrestricted samplin is when each element is drawn
individually from the population at lare% 6estricted samplin is when all
other forms of samplin are used%
Thus! sample desins are basically of two types#
$% Probability 3amplin
'% 7on5Probability 3amplin
Non-"ro&a&ility Sampling
-s that samplin procedure which does not afford any basis for estimatin
the probability that each item in the population has of bein in included in
the sample8
Also known as deliberate samplin! purposive samplin and &udment
samplin
9ere! items for the sample are selected deliberately by the researcher! that
is! purposively choose the particular units of the universe for constitutin a
sample on the basis that the small mass that they select out of a hue one
will be representative of the whole%
:0%,s if the economic condition of people livin in a state are to be studied!
a few towns and villaes may be purposively selected for intensive study on
the principle that they can be representative of the entire state%
9ere! personal element (bias) has a reat chance of enterin into the
selection of the sample
9owever! if the investiators are impartial! work without bias and have the
necessary e0perience the results obtained may be tolerably reliable%
3amplin :rror cannot be estimated and the element of bias is always
This is why/ this desin is rarely adopted in lare inquiries of importance
;uota 3amplin is also an e0ample of non probability samplin% Under quota
samplin the interviewers are simply iven quotas to be filled from the
different strata
<ery convenient and ine0pensive
"ro&a&ility Sampling
Also know as $an!om sampling or C#ance sampling
Under this desin! every item of the universe has an equal chance of
inclusion in the sample
-t is a lottery method in which individual units are picked up from the whole
roup not deliberately but by some mechanical process
-t is blind chance alone that determines whether one item is selected or not
The results obtained from probability or random samplin can be assured in
terms of probability! that is! we can measure the errors of estimation or the
sinificance
6andom samplin ensures the law of statistical reularity (which states that
if on an averae the sample chosen is a random one! the sample will have
the same composition and characteristics as the universe)
This is why it is considered as the best technique of selectin a very
representative sample
-n sum! 6andom samplin#
$% 4ives each element in the population an equal probability of ettin
into the sample/ and all choices are independent of one another
'% 4ives each possible sample combination an equal probability of bein
chosen
'o( to select a $an!om Sample
-n actual)i!eal practice the 6andom 3ample is taken by the followin
process# write each of the possible samples on a slip of paper! mi0 these
slips in a bo0=container and then draw as a lottery% -n comple0 and lare
universes this is practically possible%
An easier met#o! is without takin the trouble of enlistin all possible
samples on paper slips! we can write the name of each element of a finite
population on a slip of paper! put the slip into a bo0 and mi0 them
thorouhly and then draw (without lookin) the required number of slips%
-n doin so we must make sure that in successive drawins each of the
remainin elements of the population has the same chance of bein drawn
This procedure will also result in the same probability for each possible
sample
Thus! to draw a sample from a finite population is easy! with the aid of
random number tables! only when lists are available and items are readily
numbered
Comple* $an!om Sampling Designs
Systematic Sampling# the most practical way of samplin is to select
every i
th
item on a list/ an element of randomness is introduced into this kind
of a samplin by usin random numbers to pick up the unit with which to
start%
:0%,s if a .> sample is desired! the first item would be selected randomly
from the first '1 and thereafter every '1
th
item automatically be included in
the sample% Thus! in systematic samplin! only the first unit is selected
randomly and the remainin units of the sample are selected at fi0ed
intervals%
The merits of systematic samplin are#
-t is an improvement over simple random samplin because the
sample is spread more evenly over the entire population
-t is easier and less e0pensive
?an be used in lare population
The !emerits are#
-f there is a hidden periodicity in the population
Stratifie! Sampling# if a population from which a sample is to be drawn
does not constitute a homoeneous roup! stratified samplin is applied in
order to obtain a representative sample/ here! the population is divided into
several sub populations that are individually more homoeneous (these sub
populations are called strata)%
Cluster Sampling# if the total area of interest happens to be a bi one! a
convenient way to take a sample is to divide the area into a number of
smaller non overlappin areas and then to randomly select a number of
these smaller areas (called clusters)! with the ultimate sample consistin
of all units in these clusters%
+rea Sampling# if clusters happen to be some eoraphic subdivisions!
then it is better known as area samplin
,ulti-stage Sampling# is a further development of the principle of cluster
samplin%
:0% suppose we want to investiate the workin efficiency of nationali"ed
banks in -ndia and we want to take a sample of few banks for this purpose
the first stae is to select lare primary samplin units such as 3tates then
we select certain districts and interview all the banks in the chosen districts%
This is two5stae samplin desin
Conclusion
7ormally one should resort to simple random samplin because under it!
bias is enerally eliminated and the samplin error can be estimated% @ut
purposive samplin is more appropriate when the universe happens to be
small%
At times several methods of samplin may be used in the same study