Sampling (statistics)
in statistics and (including qualitative) research, a term for the selection of data points from a larger population
In statistics, quality assurance, and survey methodology, sampling is the selection of a subset of individuals from within a statistical population to estimate characteristics of the whole population. The subset, called a statistical sample (or sample, for short), is meant to reflect the whole population, and statisticians attempt to collect samples that are representative of the population. When sampling, statisticians aim towards collecting an unbiased group, and to do it judiciously.
Sampling has lower costs and faster data collection compared to a census recording data from the entire population (in many cases, collecting the whole population is essentially impossible, like getting sizes of all stars in the universe). Thus, it can provide insights in cases where it is infeasible to measure an entire population.
Each observation measures one or more properties (such as weight, location, color or mass) of independent objects or individuals. In survey sampling, weights can be applied to the data to adjust for the sample design, particularly in stratified sampling. Results from probability theory and statistical theory are employed to guide the practice. In business and medical research, sampling is widely used for gathering information about a population. Acceptance sampling is used to determine if a production lot of material meets the governing specifications.
“Sampling (statistics)” enters the record as in statistics and (including qualitative) research, a term for the selection of data points from a larger population. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Sampling, statistics and including can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q49908. The Library of Congress control number is sh85117056. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Sampling (statistics)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.