by March 14, 2013
As winter winds its way down and spring looms on the horizon, I was
reminded recently of a sampling technique used in the old days that
has taken on a new spin. It used to be called snowball sampling.
Just as a snowball gets bigger as it rolls down the hill, this form
of sampling builds up the...read more
by October 9, 2012
Yes my friends we have entered the political silly season. With a
month til the US presidential elections more money will be spent on
advertising and on public opinion polls than any other time of the
four-year political cycle. It is a good time to be in advertising
or research. It is a sure bet...read more
by October 7, 2011
As we enter the season of political polling, you will notice one
commonality in the reporting of said results: the confidence
interval. When we use a probability sample to generalize our
results to a larger population we need to report our level of
confidence and the interval, or measure of sampling...read more
by March 31, 2011
Can I be confident in my survey results? This is a question we will
face many times as survey researchers. Unless we conduct a census,
there will be a margin of error. My goal in this post, without
going too deeply into the technical aspects of sampling, is to
provide insight into the factors that...read more
by June 9, 2010
The title of this post is a question asked early and often by
marketers, managers and researchers conducting survey research
projects. Unfortunately, there is no single answer to the question;
there isn't a "correct" size or minimum number of people to sample
that is appropriate for all survey...read more
by June 2, 2010
Last week we discussed how to determine sample size, or how
many people we should approach to participate in our survey
research efforts. Let's continue the conversation now with some
more factors to consider when creating our sample size:Cost of your
research effort: Usually everyone has to make a...read more
by May 28, 2010
Last time, we discussed some questions we should ask ourselves when
we need to determine how many people we should approach to
participate in our survey. Let's continue the conversation now with
some more factors to consider when determining sample size:
Deciding on sample size is one of the steps...read more
by May 21, 2010
Deciding on sample size is one of the most important and first
steps any survey researcher must take in order to create an effort
that is completely successful. Determining the appropriate size and
type of sample can be a daunting task. To help you select the
perfect sample for your next research...read more
by April 13, 2010
It is incumbent on the survey researcher to clearly define the
target population. There are no strict rules to follow, and the
researcher must rely on logic and judgment. The population is
defined in keeping with the objectives of the study. Sometimes, the
entire population will be sufficiently...read more
by December 8, 2009
Recruiting for and conducting successful focus groups involves just
as many, if not sometimes more, challenges than conducting
quantitative research efforts. Some tips from experienced focus
group recruiters and researchers can help you in
avoiding the pitfalls of the trade. When estimating
sample...read more
