What is Sample Size?

Sample size’ is a market research term used for defining the number of individuals included in
conducting research. It can also be defined as the total number of individuals in a particular sample.
Researchers choose their sample based on demographics, such as age, gender questions, or physical
location. It can be vague or specific.
What are the terms used around the sample size?
Population size:
Population size is how many people fit your demographic. For example, you want to get information
on doctors residing in North America. Your population size is the total number of doctors in North
America.
Confidence level:
The confidence level tells you how sure you can be that your data is accurate. It is expressed as a
percentage and aligned to the confidence interval. For example, if your confidence level is 90%, your
results will most likely be 90% accurate.
The margin of error (confidence interval):
There’s no way to be 100% accurate when it comes to surveys. Confidence intervals tell you how far
off from the population means you’re willing to allow your data to fall. A margin of error describes
how close you can reasonably expect a survey result to fall relative to the real population value.
Remember, if you need help with this information, use our margin of error calculator.
Standard deviation:
Standard deviation is the measure of the dispersion of a data set from its mean. It measures the
absolute variability of a distribution. The higher the dispersion or variability, the greater the standard
deviation and the greater the magnitude of the deviation. For example, you have already sent out your
survey. How much variance do you expect in your responses? That variation in response is the
standard deviation.
What is sample size determination?
Sample size determination is the process of choosing the right number of observations or people from
a larger group to use in a sample. The goal of figuring out the sample size is to ensure that the sample
is big enough to give statistically valid results and accurate estimates of population parameters but
small enough to be manageable and cost-effective.
In many research studies, getting information from every member of the population of interest is not
possible or useful. Instead, researchers choose a sample of people or events that is representative of
the whole to study. How accurate and precise the results are can depend a lot on the size of the
sample.
Choosing the statistically significant sample size depends on a number of things, such as the size of
the population, how precise you want your estimates to be, how confident you want to be in the
results, how different the population is likely to be, and how much money and time you have for the
study. Statistics are often used to figure out how big a sample should be for a certain type of study and
research question. Figuring out the sample size is important in ensuring that research findings and
conclusions are valid and reliable.
Why do you need to determine the sample size?
Statistical Power: Determining an appropriate sample size is crucial for achieving sufficient
statistical power. For instance, if a study aims to detect a small effect size, a larger sample size is
required to ensure the results are reliable and meaningful.
Precision of Estimates: A larger sample size leads to more precise estimates of population
parameters. For example, in a survey investigating the average income of a population, a larger
sample size reduces the margin of error around the estimated mean.
Cost Efficiency: Balancing the need for precision with available resources is essential. Conducting a
study with an unnecessarily large sample may be costly and time-consuming. Conversely, a sample
that is too small may result in inconclusive findings.
Representativeness: The sample size influences how well the sample reflects the characteristics of
the population. For instance, in political polling, a sufficiently large and diverse sample is necessary to
accurately predict election outcomes and represent the broader electorate.
Generalizability: Adequate sample size enhances the external validity of a study, allowing
researchers to generalize findings to the broader population. In clinical trials, for example, a well-
sized sample ensures that the results are applicable to the target patient population.
How is a sample size determined?
Determining the right sample size for your survey is one of the most common questions researchers
ask when they begin a market research study. Luckily, sample size determination isn’t as hard to
calculate as you might remember from an old high school statistics class. Before calculating your
sample size, ensure you have these things in place:
Goals and objectives:
What do you hope to do with the survey? Are you planning on projecting the results onto a whole
demographic or population? Do you want to see what a specific group thinks? Are you trying to make
a big decision or just setting a direction?
Calculating sample size is critical if you’re projecting your survey results on a larger population.
You’ll want to make sure that it’s balanced and reflects the community as a whole. The sample size
isn’t as critical if you’re trying to get a feel for preferences.
Precision level:
How close do you want the survey results to mimic the true value if everyone responded? Again, if
this survey determines how you’re going to spend millions of dollars, then your sample size
determination should be exact. The more accurate you need to be, the larger the sample you want to
have, and the more your sample will have to represent the overall population. If your population is
small, say, 200 people, you may want to survey the entire population rather than cut it down with a
sample.
Confidence level:
Think of confidence from the perspective of risk. How much risk are you willing to take on? This is
where your Confidence Interval numbers become important. How confident do you want to be —
98% confident, 95% confident? Understand that the confidence percentage you choose greatly
impacts the number of completions you’ll need for accuracy. This can increase the survey’s length and
how many responses you need, which means increased costs for your survey. Knowing the actual
numbers and amounts behind percentages can help make more sense of your correct sample size
needs vs. survey costs.
Population variability:
What variability exists in your population? In other words, how similar or different is the population?
If you are surveying consumers on a broad topic, you may have lots of variations. You’ll need a larger
sample size to get the most accurate picture of the population. However, if you’re surveying a
population with similar characteristics, your variability will be less, and you can sample fewer people.
More variability equals more samples, and less variability equals fewer samples. If you’re not sure,
you can start with 50% variability.
Response rate:
You want everyone to respond to your survey. Unfortunately, every survey comes with targeted
respondents who either never open the study or drop out halfway. Your response rate will depend on
your population’s engagement with your product, service organization, or brand. The higher the
response rate, the higher your population’s engagement level. Your base sample size is the number of
responses you must get for a successful survey.
Consider your audience:
Besides the variability within your population, you need to ensure your sample doesn’t include people
who won’t benefit from the results. One of the biggest mistakes you can make in sample size
determination is forgetting to consider your actual audience. For example, you don’t want to send a
survey asking about the quality of local apartment amenities to a group of homeowners.
Focus on your survey’s objectives:
You may start with general demographics and characteristics, but can you narrow those characteristics
down even more? Narrowing down your audience makes getting a more accurate result from a small
sample size easier. For example, you want to know how people will react to new automobile
technology. Your current population includes anyone who owns a car in a particular market.
The ingredients for sample size calculations
To estimate the required sample size for a study, the investigator must first identify the primary
outcome measure for the study. The sample size calculations are then geared towards finding a
suitable sample size to identify a significant result in this primary outcome measure. If more than one
outcome measure is important to the study, sample size estimations should be conducted for each
outcome measure, and then the largest sample size estimated should be the one used in the study. For
each outcome measure in each study, the sample size estimation requires that the investigator first
defines a number of quantities. There are four essential ‘ingredients’ used to prepare a suitable sample
size: (I) effect size; (II) variability; (III) significance level; (IV) power.
Effect Size: The magnitude of the difference or relationship being studied. Larger effects generally
require smaller sample sizes to detect. Example: In a drug trial, a large effect size would be a
substantial reduction in symptoms compared to a placebo, making it easier to detect with a smaller
sample.
Variability: The extent to which individual data points differ from the mean. Greater variability often
requires a larger sample size for accurate representation. Example: In educational research, if student
performance varies widely, a larger sample size is needed to capture the diverse range of abilities
within the population.
Significance Level (Alpha): The probability of rejecting a true null hypothesis. Commonly set at
0.05, it influences sample size – lower alpha (e.g., 0.01) demands a larger sample. Example: In a
clinical trial, a lower significance level (e.g., 0.01) implies a stricter criterion for establishing that a
treatment is effective, requiring a larger sample to achieve the desired level of confidence.
Power: The probability of correctly rejecting a false null hypothesis. Higher power requires a larger
sample size and is often set at 0.80 or 0.90. Example: In a psychological study, if researchers want an
80% chance of detecting a real difference in cognitive performance between groups, a larger sample
size is needed to achieve this level of power.
Formulars of determining sample size
General Formula:

Quick Formula:

Sampling error
What Is a Sampling Error?
A sampling error is a statistical error that occurs when an analyst does not select a sample that
represents the entire population of data. As a result, the results found in the sample do not represent
the results that would be obtained from the entire population. Sampling is an analysis performed by
selecting a number of observations from a larger population. The method of selection can produce
both sampling errors and non-sampling errors.
Understanding Sampling Errors
A sampling error is a deviation in the sampled value versus the true population value. Sampling errors
occur because the sample is not representative of the population or is biased in some way. Even
randomized samples will have some degree of sampling error because a sample is only an
approximation of the population from which it is drawn.
Calculating Sampling Error
The sampling error formula is used to calculate the overall sampling error in statistical analysis. The
sampling error is calculated by dividing the standard deviation of the population by the square root of
the size of the sample and then multiplying the resultant with the Z-score value, which is based on the
confidence interval.

Types of Sampling Errors

There are different categories of sampling errors.
Population-Specific Error
A population-specific error occurs when a researcher doesn't understand who to survey.
Selection Error
Selection error occurs when the survey is self-selected, or when only those participants who are
interested in the survey respond to the questions. Researchers can attempt to overcome selection error
by finding ways to encourage participation.
Sample Frame Error
A sample frame error occurs when a sample is selected from the wrong population data.
Non-response Error
A non-response error occurs when a useful response is not obtained from the surveys because
researchers were unable to contact potential respondents (or potential respondents refused to respond).
Eliminating Sampling Errors
The prevalence of sampling errors can be reduced by increasing the sample size. As the sample size
increases, the sample gets closer to the actual population, which decreases the potential for deviations
from the actual population. Consider that the average of a sample of 10 varies more than the average
of a sample of 100. Steps can also be taken to ensure that the sample adequately represents the entire
population.
Researchers might attempt to reduce sampling errors by replicating their study. This could be
accomplished by taking the same measurements repeatedly, using more than one subject or multiple
groups, or by undertaking multiple studies.
Random sampling is an additional way to minimize the occurrence of sampling errors. Random
sampling establishes a systematic approach to selecting a sample. For example, rather than choosing
participants to be interviewed haphazardly, a researcher might choose those whose names appear first,
10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, and so on, on the list.
Sampling Error vs. Non-sampling Error
There are different types of errors that can occur when gathering statistical data. Sampling errors are
the seemingly random differences between the characteristics of a sample population and those of the
general population. Sampling errors arise because sample sizes are inevitably limited. Non-sampling
errors are errors that result during data collection and cause the data to differ from the true values.
Non-sampling errors are caused by human error, such as a mistake made in the survey process.
What Is Sampling Error vs. Sampling Bias?
In statistics, sampling means selecting the group that you will actually collect data from in your
research. Sampling bias is the expectation, which is known in advance, that a sample won't be
representative of the true population. For instance, if the sample ends up having proportionally more
women or young people than the overall population. Sampling errors are statistical errors that arise
when a sample does not represent the whole population once analyses have been undertaken.
Why is Sampling Error Important?

• it can be an indicator of the level of confidence that can be placed in the results.
• Sampling error is also important in the context of a discussion about how much research
results can vary.
Conclusion
In conclusion, meticulous consideration of sample size is paramount in research, directly impacting
the study's reliability. A well-determined sample size ensures statistical power, precision in estimates,
and cost-efficient resource allocation. It enables researchers to strike a balance between
representativeness and practicality. Simultaneously, understanding and managing sampling error is
crucial, as it safeguards against misleading conclusions. Recognizing the delicate interplay between
sample size and sampling error fosters robust and trustworthy research outcomes, reinforcing the
foundational principles of scientific inquiry. Researchers must navigate this intricate landscape with
precision to uphold the integrity of their findings and contribute meaningfully to the body of
knowledge in their respective fields.