Survey Sample Size

Sample Size Determination

 Convenience – Say … about 100.

‚Rule of Thumb - At least 30 per each
subgroup (e.g., males/females) that will be
analyzed.
ƒ Budget Constraint - Have a $300
budget for sampling. On average it costs
$2 per returned questionnaire. Then go
for sample size of 150.
„Comparable Studies or Industry Average

Typical Sample Sizes for Studies of

Human and Institutional
Populations
People or Households Institutions
Number of
Subgroup Regional Regional
Analyses National or Special National or Special

None or few 500-1500 200-500 200-500 50-200

Average 1500-2500 500-1000 500-1000 200-500
Many 2500+ 1000+ 1000+ 500+
 Determining Sample Size Using Statistical
Methods
There are statistical formulas for computing
sample sizes. These consider three aspects:

Precision: Percent of sampling

error deemed acceptable by the
researcher

Confidence: How confident is the

researcher that the true average value
lies in the interval [lower, upper]
estimated

Variance: Dispersion of the true

 Determining Sample Size

In general:

l If you desire greater precision in your

estimate, you need a larger sample size,
other things being equal
l If you want greater confidence in your
estimate, you need a larger sample size
l If the estimated variance in the population
is high, then you need a larger sample
size
 What About Response Rates?

l The calculated sample size is the number of

desired actual responses, or completed
questionnaires

l In the real-world not all surveys sent out are

completed (response rates are less than 100%)

l You must incorporate the expected response

rate when deciding how many questionnaires to
send out or how many people to call
 Response Rate Calculation

For Mail Surveys:

Response # Usable Surveys Returned

=
Rate # Surveys - # Surveys Returned
Mailed " Not Deliverable"
 Mail Surveys

Estimating the number of surveys required to

achieve given sample size:

n
Surveys Required =
[(1-U) RR]

n = required sample size

U = estimated proportion “not deliverable”
RR = estimated response rate (proportion)
 Mail Survey Example

l You have determined that sample size of 200 will

allow reasonable precision and confidence for
your estimates of important population
parameters. You will be conducting a mail
survey of households in Highland Park. You
expect that about 5% of mail will be
undeliverable and the expected response rate is
10%. How many mail questionnaires should you
send out?
 Response Rate Calculation

For Telephone Surveys:

#Completed Interviews
RR =
#Completed + #Refusals + #No Answers
Interviews
 Telephone Survey

Estimating the number of calls required to

achieve given sample size:

n
Total Calls =
[(1-NE) (1-R) (1-NA)]

where: n = required sample size

NE = estimated proportion of non-eligibles
R = estimated proportion of refusals
NA = estimated proportion of no answers
 Telephone Survey Example

l You have determined that a sample size of 200 will

allow reasonable precision and confidence for your
estimates of important population parameters. You
will be conducting a telephone survey of university
students ages 20 and older. After checking with
university registration officials you know that 50% of
all university students meet this criterion. Further,
you expect about 20% of the people you contact not
to participate in the survey and about 15% not to be
reachable even after trying at several different times
on different days of the week. How may total calls
should you expect to make for this project?
Thank You!