ABSTRACT
Selecting a sample is often a balance between what you want to accomplish and the resources available.
R ESEARCHERS HAVE FOUND THAT, AMONG SENIORS AGE 65 and older in the United States, 51% report that they exercise three or more days per week (Mendes & McGeeeney, 2012). Those seniors who reportedly exercise frequently are much more likely than those who don’t to say that they are in excellent or very good health-51% compared to 34%. How many of the more than 38 million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012) people over 65 years of age living in the United States do you think the research staff at the Gallup Organization contacted in order to make such sweeping claims? It might surprise you to know that the number was as few as 150,984, which is less than 0.5%.
