<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sampling (statistics)</span>

Sampling (statistics)

<p>In <a href="/en/Statistics" title="Statistics" class="wl">statistics</a>, <a href="/en/Quality_assurance" title="Quality assurance" class="wl">quality assurance</a>, and <a href="/en/Statistical_survey" title="Statistical survey" class="mw-redirect wl">survey methodology</a>, <b>sampling</b> is the selection of a subset (a <b>statistical sample</b>) of individuals from within a <a href="/en/Population_(statistics)" title="Population (statistics)" class="mw-redirect wl">statistical population</a> to estimate characteristics of the whole population. Statisticians attempt to collect samples that are representative of the population in question. Sampling has lower costs and faster data collection than measuring the entire population and can provide insights in cases where it is infeasible to measure an entire population. </p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Selection of data points in statistics.</div><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1033289096" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles mw:Transclusion">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}</style><figure class="wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Simple_random_sampling.PNG" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Simple_random_sampling.PNG"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Simple_random_sampling.PNG/300px-Simple_random_sampling.PNG" decoding="async" data-file-width="618" data-file-height="476" data-file-type="bitmap" height="231" width="300" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Simple_random_sampling.PNG/450px-Simple_random_sampling.PNG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Simple_random_sampling.PNG/600px-Simple_random_sampling.PNG 2x" alt="Simple_random_sampling.PNG"></a><figcaption>A visual representation of the sampling process</figcaption></figure>


<p>Each <a href="/en/Observation" title="Observation" class="wl">observation</a> measures one or more properties (such as weight, location, colour or mass) of independent objects or individuals. In <a href="/en/Survey_sampling" title="Survey sampling" class="wl">survey sampling</a>, weights can be applied to the data to adjust for the sample design, particularly in <a href="/en/Stratified_sampling" title="Stratified sampling" class="wl">stratified sampling</a>.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-1"><a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[1]</span></a></span> Results from <a href="/en/Probability_theory" title="Probability theory" class="wl">probability theory</a> and <a href="/en/Statistical_theory" title="Statistical theory" class="wl">statistical theory</a> are employed to guide the practice. In business and medical research, sampling is widely used for gathering information about a population.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-2"><a href="#cite_note-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[2]</span></a></span> <a href="/en/Acceptance_sampling" title="Acceptance sampling" class="wl">Acceptance sampling</a> is used to determine if a production lot of material meets the governing <a href="/en/Specification" title="Specification" class="mw-redirect wl">specifications</a>.</p>



In statistics, quality assurance, and survey methodology, sampling is the selection of a subset of individuals from within a statistical population to estimate characteristics of the whole population. Statisticians attempt to collect samples that are representative of the population in question. Sampling has lower costs and faster data collection than measuring the entire population and can provide insights in cases where it is infeasible to measure an entire population.  Each observation measures one or more properties of independent objects or individuals. In survey sampling, weights can be applied to the data to adjust for the sample design, particularly in stratified sampling. Acceptance sampling is used to determine if a production lot of material meets the governing specifications. 