Chapter two: Sampling techniques

 Population
All of the conceivable members of a group of items, things, or people about which the
information is desired for the solution of a problem constitute the population.
Table 3.1: Research Population
Tours & Travel Company Target Population
Matoke Tours & Travel Company 50
Zambezi Safaris & Travels Co Ltd 20
Speke Uganda Holidays 20
East Africa Wild Adventures 10
Mamaland Safaris 10
Gorilla Trek Africa 10
Africa Adventure Safaris 10
Encounter Africa Safaris 10
Total 140
Source: Primary Data (2022)
 Sample
A sample is a group of items selected by some carefully designed method from a population.
Table 3.2: Sampling Frame
Tours & Travel Company Target Population Sample Size Sampling Technique
Matoke Tours & Travel Company 50 37
Zambezi Safaris & Travels Co Ltd 20 16

Speke Uganda Holidays 20 16

East Africa Wild Adventures 10 7
Mamaland Safaris 10 7
Gorilla Trek Africa 10 7
Africa Adventure Safaris 10 7
Encounter Africa Safaris 10 7
Total 140 104
Source: Primary Data (2022) & Sloven’s formula (1978).
Research data
 Research data is any information that has been collected, observed, generated or
created to validate original research findings
Sources of Published data

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Primary and secondary data
 Primary data refers to the first hand data gathered by the researcher himself/herself.
 Secondary data means data collected by someone else earlier. UBOS/World
bank/Corporate companies in Uganda and Whole world
 Secondary data can further be classified as internal or external secondary data.
 Internal data comes from the internal records related to the operations of a business firm.
 External data are collected and published by agencies external to the enterprise.

 Read about advantages and disadvantages of primary and secondary data sources.

Census (Population) or survey (sample)

 A census is a study of every unit, everyone or everything, in a population. It is known as
a complete enumeration, which means a complete count.
What is a survey?
 Surveys are used to collect information in order to answer a question or make an
informed decision. Surveys are made by surveying a sample of the population.


 Surveys are used to answer a research question such as;
o How many people want to buy this new model car? Primary data vs Secondary
data
o What is the inflation rate for Uganda? Primary data
o What is the best place to open a saloon shop in Kampala? Primary data
o What is the unemployment rate for Uganda? Primary data and Secondary data
MOFP, UBOS, MOL

Sampling and estimation

 Research or data collection or conducting a census is often too costly or otherwise not
practical to survey the entire population.
 If this is the case, we select a sample from the population and survey the sample
 A sample is a group of items selected by some carefully designed method from a
population.
 We then estimate the population characteristics from the sample survey information.
Sampling errors and
non – sampling errors

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Sampling error
When conducting research/data collection the objective of the researcher is to get data
from 100% - 50%, 80%, 30%, 10%
Sampling error
 This is the error in the estimate caused by selecting a sample rather than taking a
complete enumeration of the entire population.
 The purpose of every researcher is to minimise the sampling error by getting as many
respondents in the population as possible.

Non sampling errors.

All other errors in the estimate of the sample. Some examples of non-sampling errors include;.
 Communication error – the respondent does not understand what is being asked
 Leading questions – phrased in the way or context that biases the respondent towards a
particular answer.
 Transcription error in data entry.
 Badly defined population – sections that should have been included aren’t and vice versa
 Non response or deliberately false responses.
 Bias of the researchers and respondents
Read about how to minimize the sampling errors
Advantages - Sample surveys vs census
Advantages of sampling include;
 Reduced cost
 Greater speed
 Greater scope
 Accuracy??????
However censuses provide;
 Detailed information

Sampling techniques
There are various ways of selecting a sample from the population

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Simple random sampling/ Probability sampling
 Simple random sampling is a process of selecting a sample in a random way all with the
same probability of being chosen.

Probability Sampling Types

Simple Random Sampling, every item in the population has an equal and likely chance of
being selected in the sample.

Systematic Sampling, the items are selected from the target population by selecting the
random selection point and selecting the other methods after a fixed sample interval.

Stratified Sampling, the total population is divided into smaller groups to complete the
sampling process.

Clustered Sampling, the cluster or group of people are formed from the population set.

Non- random sampling techniques/ Non probability sampling techniques

 Non-random sampling is a method of selecting units from a population using a certain
formula or criteria.

Non-Probability Sampling Types

Convenience Sampling, the samples are selected from the population directly because they
are conveniently available for the researcher.

Consecutive Sampling, is similar to convenience sampling with a slight variation. The

researcher picks a single person or a group of people for sampling.

Quota Sampling, the researcher forms a sample that involves the individuals to represent the
population based on specific traits or qualities.

Subjective (i.e. non-random) techniques/methods.

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Formulas suggested by scholars
Yamane’s formula,
Morgan and Krejcie formula,
Sloven’s formula

Quota sampling
 In quota sampling, a population is first segmented into mutually exclusive sub-groups,
just as in stratified sampling.
 Then judgment is used to select the subjects or units from each segment based on a
specified proportion.
 For example, an interviewer may be told to sample 200 females and 300 males between
the age of 45 and 60. This means that individuals can put a demand on who they want to
sample (targeting).
Purposive sampling
 Purposive sampling, also known as judgmental, selective, or subjective sampling, is a
form of non-probability sampling in which researchers rely on their own judgment
when choosing members of the population to participate in their surveys.

Systematic sampling
 Systematic sampling is a probability sampling method where researchers select members
of the population at a regular interval – for example, by selecting every 15th person on a
list of the population.
Cluster sampling
 In cluster sampling, researchers divide a population into smaller groups known as
clusters. They then respondents are randomly select among these clusters to form a
sample.
 Cluster sampling is a method of probability sampling that is often used to study large
populations, particularly those that are widely geographically dispersed. Researchers
usually use pre-existing units such as schools or cities as their clusters.

Stratified sampling
 Stratified random sampling is a method of sampling that involves the division of a
population into smaller subgroups known as strata.

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  In stratified random sampling, or stratification, the strata are formed based on members'
shared attributes or characteristics, such as income or educational attainment.
Multi-phase sampling
 In statistics, Multi-phase sampling involve the collection of information in succeeding
phases, with one phase serving as the forerunner to the next.
 These represent a special kind of multi-subject survey. They may be partially integrated
to the extent that all of the information is collected for at least some of the sample units.
Multi stage sampling
 In statistics, multi-stage sampling is the taking of samples in stages using smaller and
smaller sampling units at each stage. Multistage sampling can be a complex form of
cluster sampling because it is a type of sampling which involves dividing the population
into groups

Advantages and disadvantages of each of the sampling methods

 Simple random sampling
 Non- random sampling
o Quota sampling
o Purposive sampling
o Systematic sampling
o Cluster sampling
o Stratified sampling
o Multi-phase sampling
o Multi stage sampling

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