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DOING SOCIOLOGY: RESEARCH METHODS 97 big villages, and randomly select any mistakes made by researchers but 10 numbers from each list by drawing because we are using a small sample lots. We now have our sample, to stand for a large population. When consisting of 10 big and 10 small reportingtheresultsofsamplesurveys, villages from the state, and we can researchers must specify the size and proceed to study those villages to see if design of their sample and the margin our initial hypothesis was true or false. of error. Of course, this is an extremely The main strength of the survey simple design; actual research studies method is that it is able to provide a usually involve more complicated broad overview representative of a large designs with the sample selection population with relatively small outlays process being divided into many stages of time and money. The bigger the andincorporatingmanystrata. Butthe sample the more chance it has of being basic principles remain the same — a truly representative; the extreme case here is that of the census, which small sample is carefully selected such that it is able to represent or stand for includes the entire population. In the entire population. Then the sample practice, sample sizes may vary from is studied and the results obtained for 30-40tomanythousands. (Seethebox it are generalised to the entire ontheNationalStatisticalOrganisation). population. The statistical properties It is not only the size of the sample that of a scientifically selected sample matters; its mode of selection is even ensure that the characteristics of the more important. Of course, decisions sample will closely resemble the on sample selection can often be based on practical considerations. characteristics of the population it is drawn from. There may be small In situations where a census is not differences, but the chance of such feasible the survey becomes the only deviations occuring can be specified. available means of studying the This is known as the margin of err or, population as a whole. The unique or sampling error. It arises not due to advantage of the survey is that it Activity 4 Discuss among yourselves some of the surveys you have come across. These may be election surveys, or other small surveys by newspapers or television channels. When the results of the survey were reported, was the margin of error also mentioned? Were you told about the size of the sample and how it was selected? You must always be suspicious of surveys where these aspects of the research method are not clearly specified, because without them, it is not possible to evaluate the findings. Survey methods are often misused in the popular media: big claims are made on the basis of biased and unrepresentative sample. You could discuss some specific surveys you have come across from this point of view. Reprint 2026-27