Survey and Sampling

Assistant Professor: Ahmed S.

Ishtiaque
ULAB

What is a Survey?
A systematic method of collecting information
from a sample of people from a population
about a set of questions for the purposes of
describing some attributes of the population

Features of a Survey
Information is collected from a sample of
population
By asking questions using a standardized
questionnaire
Produce statistics (quantitative or numerical
description about some aspects of the study
population)
Generalizable to the whole population

Types of Survey (timeline based)

Cross sectional
collect information on outcome of interest and
population variables
at one particular time

Panel/ Cohort
repeated administration of a questionnaire to a
panel of households/ group of people sharing
common experience/ characteristics
variables are measured on the same units over time
can add extra module to answer a new RQ
4

Types of Survey (content based)

Descriptive Survey: Description of a
population, certain behavior, life style, disease
prevalence etc.
Analytical Survey: Hypothesis driven
charaterized by identifying association or
linakage between/amongst the variables.

Steps of survey
1. Establish the goal of the project - What do you
want to know
2. Select the sample - Whom will you interview
3. Choose interview methodology - How will you
interview
4. Specify variables of interest What information
do you want
5. Create questionnaire (i.e. instrument) - What will
you ask
6

Steps of survey (contd..)

6. Pre-test questionnaire Are your questions
clear, understandable and follow logical patterns
7. Conduct interviews - Ask the questions
8. Data editing and entry Check for consistency
9. Data analysis Answer research questions

Sample Determination
(Whom will you interview)
Think of whether your survey aims at collecting
information at the individual or at the household
level
Set up inclusion and exclusion criteria for
sample

Choose interview methodology

How will you interview?
Self-administered
questionnaire

Face-to-face
interviews

Preserves confidentiality
limits risk of providing
expected answers

Interferes with
confidentiality higher risk
of providing expected
answers

Requires extremely simple Allows interviewer to work

& well-structured questions with interviewee on more
complex questions
High probability of low
response rate/missing
values

Probable introduction of
bias depending on how
questions are phrased

Hybrid
interview
strategies:
Phone,
computerassisted
& email

 Written Survey

Oral Survey

Electronic Survey

10

Choose interview methodology

(How will you interview)
Self-administered questionnaire or
face-to-face interview?
Choice depends on:
Study question
Study setting
Structure of questionnaire
Resources available
Research team preference

11

Specify variables of interest

(What information do you want)
Always write down list of variables of interest
before drafting the questionnaire
Check for balance and coherence between
variables
Develop a question or a set of questions for each
variable in the list
12

Specify variables of interest (contd..)

(What information do you want )
Variables

Questions

Age

What is your age?

Profession

What is your job?

Marital status

What is your
marital status?

This strategy
also facilitates
division of
questions
in sections

13

Strengths of a Survey
Useful in describing characteristics of a large
population
Very large samples are feasible, making
results statistically significant
Standardized questions make measurement
more precise by enforcing uniform definitions
upon the participants.
High reliability is easy to obtain
14

Weaknesses of a Survey
Not a good method for research on sensitive
topics
Require the initial study design (the tool and
administration of the tool) to remain unchanged
throughout the data collection.

15

Errors in Survey
Characteristics of
Population

Sample of population
members who
answer questions

Answers respondent
give

Issue:
How closely sample
responding mirrors
population?

Related to:
Sampling

Issue:
How well answers
measure
characteristics to
be described?

Related to:
Questionnaire
design &
administration

16

Why Sampling?
Often difficult or impossible to study total
population
Studying a part may provide dependable
information
Important to select a part or subgroup of the
population in a way that the information obtained
is generalizable to the total population

17

Sampling
This part or subgroup is called sample and the
process of selecting the sample is sampling
Why sample?
Resources (time, money) and workload
Gives results with known accuracy that can be
calculated mathematically

18

What Sampling?
What you
want to talk
about

What you
actually
observe in
the data

Population

Sampling Process

Sample

Sampling
Frame
Inference

Using data to say something (make an inference)

with confidence, about a whole (population) based
on the study of a only a few (sample).
19

The Sampling Process

Define the Population

Determine the Sampling Frame
Select Sampling Technique(s)
Determine the Sample Size
Execute the Sampling Process
20

Population
Sometimes referred as Universe
The entirety.
All the members/elements within a specific
category.
Size and characteristics depend on type of
study

To define a population ask yourself:

What am I studying?
To whom or what does my study result apply
to? (related to generalization)
21

Sample

Study population: the population that

is actually listed in your sampling frame
Sampling frame: listing of study
population from which you'll draw your
sample
Sample: a part of the whole
Sampling: process of selection of the
required number of sampling units from
a defined population
22

An example
What percentage of Women (20-55)
in Dhaka Metropolitan city in
Bangladesh were diagnosed with
uterine cancer in 2000?
Study Population?
Sampling Frame?

23

 Study Population?
Women (20-55) in Metropolitan Dhaka in
2000 who do not have a history of
hysterectomy.

Sampling Frame?
List of all women (20-55) in Metropolitan
Dhaka in 2000 who do not have a history
of hysterectomy.

24

Classification of Sampling
Techniques
Sampling Techniques

Nonprobability
Sampling Techniques

Convenience
Sampling

Simple Random
Sampling

Purposive
Sampling

Systematic
Sampling

Probability
Sampling Techniques

Quota
Sampling

Stratified
Sampling

Snowball
Sampling

Cluster
Sampling
25

Multi-stage
Sampling

Probability Sampling
A sampling method that gives each unit in the
population a known, non-zero equal chance of
being selected is called a probability sampling
method
No unit receives preferences over the other
No units is left out intentionally

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Type of Probability Sampling

Simple random sampling

Systematic sampling
Stratified sampling
Cluster sampling
Multi-stage sampling

27

Simple Random Sampling

Each group member has the same probability
of being selected
Example: Selecting balls from a basket
Can be done by using sampling frame and
random table
Best applicable to homogeneous population
Example ?

28

Simple Random Sampling

The most basic sampling design.
If you can make a complete list of your target
population then you can use simple random
sampling
The idea is to assign a number to each of the
units in a population and then use a random
number generator of some sort to choose the
respondents for the analysis.

29

Systematic Sampling
An estimate is made of expected total number of
units in the study population
Divide this number by required sample size
The resulting number is the sampling interval (n)
Every nth unit is selected till the total sample size is
drawn
Example ?

30

Stratified Sampling
When a population is heterogeneous
Study population is first divided into homogeneous
groups or classes called strata
The choice of stratification variables depends on
the variables that matter for responses.

31

Stratified Sampling
In most public health research, natural candidates
are race, income, education, gender, location, etc.
Simple random sampling is performed in each
strata
Allocation of samples among the strata can be
proportional to the size of the strata

32

Stratified Sampling
Proportionate: when sampling units in the
strata are selected proportional to their
representation in the source population
Disproportionate: deliberately increasing the
size of sampling units selected from a particular
strata so they represent a disproportionate figure
in the sample compared to the source population

33

Cluster Sampling
Groups of individuals are sampling units rather
than individuals
Population is first divided into groups or
clusters
A part of these clusters are then selected using
simple random sampling or systematic
sampling
Saves money and time
Example ?
34

Multistage Sampling
When the total population is large and diverse
Sample selection is carried out in several
stages
Different sampling units at different stages or
levels
Units are selected using simple random
sampling or systematic sampling
Example ?
35

Non-probability Sampling
The sampling units are selected as convenient
to the researcher
Has a greater chance of giving biased results
Example ?

36

Non-probability Sampling: types

Convenience sampling: A convenience
sample is simply one where the units that are
selected for inclusion in the sample are
the easiest to access.
Purposive sampling: Sampling technique that
rely on the judgment of the researcher when it
comes to selecting the units that are to be
studied.
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Type of Non-probability Sampling

Snowball sampling: Snowball sampling is
particularly appropriate when the population
you are interested in is hidden and/or hardto-reach.
Quota sampling: the researcher decides in
advance on certain key characteristics which
s/he will use to stratify the sample.

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Selecting a sampling method

Population to be studied
Size/geographical distribution
Heterogeneity with respect to variable

Availability of list of sampling units

Level of precision required
Resources available

39

Differences between two types of

sampling
Probability sampling

Non-probability sampling

Always for quantitative

research method

Usually for qualitative research

method

Sampling units have known

probability of being selected

No such thing

Involves statistical analysis

Does not involve statistics.

Results can be generalized

Results are not intended to be

generalized

Sample size calculation is

involved

Sample size calculation is not

involved
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Sampling Error
Samples may be different from
population
Choosing sample frame
Process of selecting sample
Failure to collect answers from everyone
(non-response)

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An example:
Bangladesh Maternal Mortality and Health Care
Survey (BMMS) 2010
2nd nationally representative survey to:

provide national estimates of the maternal mortality

ratio (MMR) in Bangladesh

identify causes of maternal deaths among adult

women;

understand antenatal, delivery and post-natal care

Sample Size: around 175,000

households
Sampling method: multi-stage cluster

Used a three stage sampling procedure

First stage: wards in urban and unions in rural
were used as the primary sampling units (PSUs)
Second stage: selected two mohallas in each
ward and two mouzas in each union
Third stage: Each selected mohalla and mouza
was segmented into clusters and one of these
was selected from each selected mohalla and
mouza

Rural Areas

Urban Areas

Unions

Wards

Mouzas

Mohallas

Segment

Segment

Household

Household

Sample Sizes Selected

Domains

Clusters

Urban

654

Household
s
42510

Other
Urban
Rural

488

31720

1566

101790

Total

2708

176020

Response Rates: Households

2001

100

98.6

98.2

98.9

2010
98.6

98.8

98.4

75

50

25

Urban

Rural

Total

Response Rates Women

100

96.6

96.9

2001

2010

97.3

97.7

97.3

75

50

25

Urban

Rural

97.2
Total