Multistage sampling_

A multi-stage sampling design, particularly intended for large scale

sampling surveys on successive occasions is developed.

Multistage sampling refers to sampling plans where the sampling is carried

out in stages using smaller and smaller sampling units at each stage.

In a two stage sampling design a sample of units is selected and then a

sample of secondary units is selected within each primary unit.

Complex form of cluster sampling in which two or more levels of units are
embedded one in the other.

Example: -
 First stage, random number of district chosen in all states.
 Followed by random number of villages
 Then third stage units will be houses.
 All ultimate units(houses) selected at last step are surveyed.

STAGE-WISE SELECTION

Stage sampling is an extension of cluster sampling. For a two-stage

sampling,

We select the cluster at the first stage. Selected clusters are called first
stage unit (FSUs) or primary stage units (PSUs)
Then select a sample of units from within each selected cluster – selected
units are called second stage unit (SSUs)
The number of stages can be numerous,

Examples:-

Stage 1 Stage 2
Villages Households
Dwellings People
Hospitals Patients
Businesses Employees
Coconut trees Coconuts
The procedure is generalized to three or more stages and is then termed as
multistage sampling
For example,
In a crop survey
 villages are the first stage units,
 fields within the villages are the second stage units and
 Plots within the fields are the third stage units.
In another example,
 to obtain a sample of fishes from a commercial fishery
 first take a sample of boats and
 then take a sample of fishes from each selected boat

Primary Secondary
Clus ters Clus ters Simple Random Sampling within Secondary Clus ters

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1
2
2
3

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3
5
4
6

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9

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 Sample Weighting
Cluster 1 Sample 1 Cluster 2 Sample 2
97 54 54
117 117 110 110
93 108
98 98 89
122 122 80 80
83 98 98
111 109
87 56 56
118 73 73
118 118 73 73
116 53 53
109 109 69 69
119 78 78
80 80 97 97
111 91
90 90 96 96
83 104 104
105 105 60 60
97 97 101
102 102
101 101
108 108
115
101 101
92 92

Average 102.9 102.9 84.2 78.6

Unweighted
Average 94.8 90.8
Weighted
Average 92.1
Advantages

 Cost and speed that the survey can be done in

 Convenience of finding the survey sample
 Normally more accurate than cluster sampling for the same size
sample
 Effective in primary data collection from geographically
dispersed. population when face-to face contact in required (e.g.
semi-structured in-depth interviews)
 Cost-effectiveness and time-effectiveness.
 High level of flexibility.

Disadvantages

 High level of subjectivity.

 Research findings can never be 100% representative of
population.
 The presence of group-level information is required.

Bibliography:-

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281107209_Multistage_sampling

http://www.unsiap.or.jp/e-
learning/el_material/Agri/rap_Sampling_Indonesia/2_M2_Multistage_Sampl
ing.pdf

http://home.iitk.ac.in/~shalab/sampling/chapter10-sampling-two-stage-
sampling.pdf