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If a researcher wishes to interview undocumented immigrants from Mexico, he or she might interview a few undocumented individuals that he or she knows or can
locate and would then rely on those subjects to help locate more undocumented individuals. This process continues until the researcher has all the interviews he or
she needs or until all contacts have been exhausted.
The characteristic of this type of sampling is that it is not used to estimate the characteristics of the general population but to estimate the characteristics of network
of hidden populations (rare, difficult to identify).The term hidden population, synonym to very seldom population or "difficult to encounter population, is
used to refer in general to populations on which there are not official information, or which represent less than 2% of the population. Hidden doesnt necessarily
have the meaning of illegal, but unobserved, unregistered, or under the radar.
1.Linear snowball sampling. Formation of a sample group starts with only one subject and the subject provides only one referral. The referral is recruited into the sample
group and he/she also provides only one new referral. This pattern is continued until the sample group is fully formed.
2. Exponential non-discriminative snowball sampling. The first subject recruited to the sample group provides multiple referrals. Each new referral is explored until
primary data from sufficient amount of samples are collected.
3. Exponential discriminative snowball sampling. Subjects give multiple referrals, however, only one new subject is recruited among them. The choice of a new subject
is guided by the aim and objectives of the study.
Not Random: Snowball sampling contravenes many of the assumptions supporting conventional notions of random selection and representativeness. However,
social systems are beyond researchers' ability to recruit randomly. Snowball sampling is inevitable in social systems.
Vague Overall Sampling Size: There is no way to know the total size of the overall population.
Wrong Anchoring: Another disadvantage of snowball sampling is the lack of definite knowledge as to whether or not the sample is an accurate reading of the
target population. By targeting only a few select people, it is not always indicative of the actual trends within the result group. Identifying the appropriate
person to conduct the sampling, as well as locating the correct targets is a time consuming process such that the benefits only slightly outweigh the costs.
Lack of control over the Sampling Method : As the subjects locate the hidden population, the research has very little control over the sampling Method, which
becomes mainly dependent on the original subject. This is because it's a chain sampling in which the original and subsequent subjects add the sampling pool
using a method outside of the researcher's control.