4.4 Probability sampling methods: Simple Random Sampling

In a simple random sample, each record has the same probability of being selected as each of the others.

If there are 10,000 undergraduate students at a particular college, and a researcher wishes to reach out to one percent of them with an e-mail based survey, then he can use any method that randomly selects 100 students without replacement.  

Simple random sampling is easy to use, especially for a small sample size. However, simple random sampling becomes unwieldy with larger sample sizes because the researcher requires a complete list of every member of the population. It may not be practical to compile this list if there isn’t a pre-existing one.  If data needs to be collected in person, the data collection process will become expensive if the sample group is spread out across different regions. Moreover, the researcher must ensure he or she has the resources to contact each respondent who is selected to participate in the study.