Proportionate quota sampling

Techniques > Research > Sampling > Proportionate quota sampling

Use | Method | Example | Discussion | See also

Use

Use when you know the distribution of target people across a set of groups.

Use when you want to ensure that minorities are properly represented in the study.

Method

Identify the groups to be used for the sub-segments and the known proportion of the population in each group.

Multiply these percentages by the total sample size to get the sample for each group.

Example

It is known that 90% of nurses in a region are women. A study with a sample size of 200 nurses thus selects 180 female nurses and 20 male nurses.

Discussion

It is possible in a random sample to select a disproportionately large or small number from a minority which may have a significantly different view from the majority. This could result in of bias the results of the study. Using a proportionate quota helps eliminate this problem.

Typical quota characteristics include factors such as age, gender, religion, ethnicity, profession and so on.

Proportionate quota sampling is sometimes just called quota sampling, although a non-proportionate approach is also possible.