4.8 Non-probability sampling methods: Snowball sampling

Snowball sampling is typically used to gather participants for studies where people might be wary about coming forward due to illegal or socially controversial behaviors (e.g. drug addiction). In this technique, a researcher recruits one or two participants before asking them to recruit others who have engaged in similar behavior. Confidentiality is maintained at all times. Just like convenience sampling, the results from snowball sampling cannot be used to represent the entire population, as the method does not have any statistical grounding.