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The first thing study teams need to decide is who the study will focus on. Think back to the three examples in the last section – each has a different sample population:
Geographic boundariesMost studies select their sample from within certain geographic limits. This might be for practical or scientific reasons. The geographic limits could be very small, for instance a city or county, or very large, such as the whole of the UK. Targeting specific groupsThe first two examples are known as cohort studies and target specific groups or sections of the population. Cohort study samples share a common experience at a particular point in time. For example, a birth cohort follows children born within a specific period. Other cohorts follow groups of students in the same year at school, patients diagnosed with a certain disease at a particular point in time, or new recruits entering an organisation or industry in a given year. Targeting the whole populationSome studies, like Understanding Society, target the UK population as a whole. One challenge this presents is the fact that the population is always changing. Studies that seek to represent the whole population must be ‘dynamic’ – that is, there needs to be a way in which new members can join the sample. Otherwise there is a risk that, over time, the sample will become increasingly different to the population it is meant to represent. Understanding Society creates a dynamic sample by including people who move into participating households. For example, if the child of a participating household leaves home to move in with a partner, the partner will join the sample. Similarly, if a couple breaks up and forms two new households, both new households become part of the sample. What is the target population?Given that the target population represents the entire population for which any given study intends to examine, it is important to define this group, also referred to as the theoretical population. Here is a partial list of example target population specifications or definitions:
From this list, it is clear that having access to the total population of all the theoretical individuals in each of the above categories is virtually impossible regardless of which methodology you deploy. Therefore you need to evaluate the assets available to you for each of the target population groups. Next, choose a sampling technique that will allow you to build a sample frame that will yield the sample size you require with the slightest sampling error and non-response bias from the data. It is also essential to avoid ambiguity when defining your target population. Take this political polling example: ‘Individuals who are registered to vote in a primary or an election contest held in the state of South Carolina’ If this were the general election, this would be a perfectly appropriate definition. If this were the democratic primary, it would still be valid. South Carolina is an open primary state where members of any party affiliation can vote for the other party’s candidate. Since many states don’t hold open primaries, you must specify registered: Democrats, Independents, and so on. Here is a partial list of example ambiguous target population definitions:
The list above is meant to highlight different cases where ambiguity can cloud the study design. In the first example: ‘Russians who have left the country.’ It is unknown where the Russians live, and it is not defined here from which country they have departed. So we might assume it’s Russia. But we could be mistaken. In the case of ‘Recent mothers,’ it is difficult to determine whether they have achieved this status through pregnancies for the first time or pregnancies, adoptions, foster programs, through marriage, or any number of other modern social scenarios. Look at ‘Frequent travelers‘; you stop and ask, is this business travel or leisure? Is this overseas, or do trips to the next town count? Lastly, when it comes to people in the ‘Gifted’ category this day and age, in our estimation, doesn’t everybody get a gold star for just getting through life? Absolutely! The point is this, be extra cautious and thorough when defining the target population and when beginning to map out your study, and it will guide you in setting up your sampling design. Otherwise, you may end up with ambiguities in your data that will be hard to resolve or impossible to conduct any meaningful analysis. How does the target population differ from the population sample?Why is the target population significant?Having a working knowledge of the target population and taking steps to be “particular” in creating a clear and precise definition, we can discuss why this target audience is not the same as the sampled population. It is more akin to what the sample would resemble if we had an infinite measure of time and access to unlimited resources. The target population is essential for three primary reasons:
The target population is the master blueprint for the sample. It defines (variable characteristics) the overall set or sets of all items (people in market research) who will qualify for your study. Next, the researcher will then identify the sampling methods for the survey respondents or study participants that will yield data with the least amount of bias. Ideally, if the study is quantitative, the researcher can make observations and draw statistical inferences from the data. If it’s a qualitative study, the researcher will likely generalize the findings. The source input records for qualitative data analysis are generally not from a probability sample method and are not randomly selected. Depending on the sampling methods chosen, you choose a sample frame to build your sample size. Then, executing a plan to reach each group of people from the target populations from a selection process defined in the sampling frame. What are the considerations for the target population in online research?All data collection methodologies carry with them their strengths and inherent weaknesses. These strengths and weaknesses are typically expressed in these terms
Due to advances in mobile and wireless technology and the availability of high-speed internet, including the most remote regions globally, today’s access to global audiences for research is growing in size. Because of this, more businesses are interested in reaching their target market with an online questionnaire to conduct market research or see if they qualify for clinical trials or participate in a political poll. You can conduct both probability and non-probability sampling methods online depending on the market research panel provider you choose, their sampling knowledge, and the available panel resources. With planning, it is possible to have a probability sample of registered Democrats in Ohio or a cluster sample of restaurant owners ( 3-5 years in business and over 5 million in sales) in Atlanta, Chicago, and Pittsburgh. As you design your online study, consider survey questions, and think about the target population, remember that your selection criteria should be precisely defined. Each sampled population or cohort should have clearly defined variables from which to build quotas and targets. And whether you are going for large sample sizes or small, it’s your data analysis and target population that will guide you. What method is used by researchers to identify and study specific variables or themes that appear in a text image or media message?Content analysis is a research tool used to determine the presence of certain words, themes, or concepts within some given qualitative data (i.e. text). Using content analysis, researchers can quantify and analyze the presence, meanings, and relationships of such certain words, themes, or concepts.
Which of the following refers to the method of studying people in online communities?Netnography is ethnography adapted to the study of online communities. As a method, netnography is faster, simpler, and less expensive than traditional ethnography and more naturalistic and unobtrusive than focus groups or interviews.
Is a form of research that attempts to understand a group from the point of view of its members?Ethnography is the immersion of the researcher in the natural setting of an entire social community to observe and experience their everyday life and culture. The heart of an ethnographic study focuses on how subjects view their own social standing and how they understand themselves in relation to a social group.
What is the term for a relationship between variables in which a change in one directly produces a change in the other?Correlation means there is a statistical association between variables. Causation means that a change in one variable causes a change in another variable.
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