ABSTRACT
In the course of most research projects, the time usually comes when estimates must be made about the characteristics or attitudes of a large group. The large group of interest is called the population or universe. For example, all of the registered Republicans in Jefferson County or all of the heads of households in Madison, Indiana, would each constitute a universe. Other examples of a population are all people in the United States, all households in the United States, or all left-handed Scandinavians in Biloxi, Mississippi. Once the determination of the study universe is decided, several courses of action might be taken. First, the decision might be made to survey all of the entities in the universe. If all of the members of the selected universe are surveyed, this is called a census. With a census, direct, straightforward information concerning the specific universe parameters or characteristics is obtained. A second course of action would be to survey a sample of the universe (population). A sample refers to the group surveyed any time the survey is not administered to all members of the population or universe. The process of selecting a smaller group of people who have basically the same characteristics and preferences as the total group from which it is drawn is called sampling.
