Random Sampling

A simple random sample is a subset of a statistical population in which each

member of the subset has an equal probability of being chosen. A simple random sample is
meant to be an unbiased representation of a group. An example of a simple random sample
would be a group of 25 employees chosen out of a hat from a company of 250 employees. In
this case, the population is all 250 employees, and the sample is random because each
employee has an equal chance of being chosen.

BREAKING DOWN 'Simple Random Sample'

A sampling error can occur with a simple random sample if the sample doesn't end up
accurately reflecting the population it is supposed to represent. For example, in our simple
random sample of 25 employees, it would be possible to draw 25 men even if the population
consisted of 125 women and 125 men.

For this reason, simple random sampling is more commonly used when the researcher
knows little about the population. If the researcher knew more, it would be better to use a
different sampling technique, such as stratified random sampling, which helps to account for the
differences within the population (such as age, race or gender).

Advantages of Simple Random Sampling

One of the best things about simple random sampling is the ease of assembling the sample. It is
also considered as a fair way of selecting a sample from a given population since every member is given
equal opportunities of being selected.

Another key feature of simple random sampling is its representativeness of the population.
Theoretically, the only thing that can compromise its representativeness is luck. If the sample is not
representative of the population, the random variation is called sampling error.

An unbiased random selection and a representative sample is important in drawing

conclusions from the results of a study. Remember that one of the goals of research is to be able to make
conclusions pertaining to the population from the results obtained from a sample. Due to the
representativeness of a sample obtained by simple random sampling, it is reasonable to
make generalizations from the results of the sample back to the population.
Disadvantages of Simple Random Sampling

One of the most obvious limitations of simple random sampling method is its need of a
complete list of all the members of the population. Please keep in mind that the list of the
population must be complete and up-to-date. This list is usually not available for large
populations. In cases as such, it is wiser to use other sampling techniques.

Why we must use Sample Random

It is true that sampling randomly will eliminate systematic bias. Moreover, this
statement is often the best plausible explanation that is acceptable to someone with little
mathematical background. However, this statement could easily be misinterpreted as the
myth above. Moreover, there is an additional, very important, reason why random sampling
is important, at least in frequentist statistical procedures, which are those most often taught
(especially in introductory classes) and used.

The real reason: The mathematical theorems which justify most frequentist statistical
procedures apply only to random samples.