notes/education/statistics/Sampling.md
2024-01-25 13:50:30 -07:00

2.8 KiB

(Ch 19, stat 1040)

Term Definition
Qualitative A descriptive value (red, blue, high, low)
Quantitative A numerical value (7, 8, 9)
Population The entire set of existing units that investigators wish to study
Sample A portion or subset of the population
Parameter A number that describes a characteristic of a population (10% of US senators voted for something)
Statistic A number that describes a sample characteristic (71% of Americans feel that ...)

A global consumer survey reported that 6% of US taxpayers used or owned cryptocurrency in 2020. The US government is interested in knowing if this percentage has increased. The University of Chicago surveys 1,004 taxpayers and finds that 13% have used or owned crypto in the past year (2021)

In the above example:

  • The population was US taxpayers
  • The parameter was 6%
  • The sample was 1004 taxpayers
  • The statistic was 13%

An ideal sample will represent the whole population.

Sampling

Sample Type Description
Simple random Advantages:
- Procedure is impartial
- Law of Averages
Disadvantages
- Not always possible
- Can be very expensive
Quota Sampling Attempts to get certain proportions based on key characteristics. Quota sampling doesn't guarantee that the selection is an accurate representation.
Cluster Sampling Divide population into subgroups, randomly select a subgroup, and sample all of the subjects in that group
Convenience Sampling done near to the researcher because it's easier.

Simple Random Samples

Bias

Bias Type Description
Selection When the procedure that selects the sample is biased
Non-Response Those that don't respond to a survey may have different characteristics than those that do respond
Response When the question is worded in a leading way to elicit a certain response.
Volunteer response Self selecting, individuals volunteer to answer
Measurement Interviewing method influences the response, uses loaded words or ambiguities.

Percentages

(Ch 20, stat 1040)

The expected value for a sample percentage equals the population percentage. The standard error for that percentage = (SE_sum/sample_size) * 100%

To determine by how much the standard error is affected, if n is the sample size, the standard error changes by \frac{1}{\sqrt{n}}

Accuracy in statistics refers to how small the standard error is. A smaller standard error means your data is more accurate.

You can use the below equation to find the percentage standard error of a box model that has ones and zeros. the % of ones and zeros should be represented as a proportion (EG: 60% = 0.6).

 \sqrt{\frac{(\%\space of\space 1s)(\%\space of\space 0s)}{num_{draws}}}