20 Examples of Population and Sample

A population it is a group or a set of elements on which a statistical study will be made. For example: All the trees in a forest.A sample it is a part of a population that was selected for a study. For example: 50 of the 1,000 trees in a forest.

Samples are used in statistics (a discipline concerned with collecting and analyzing data about different phenomena) when it is not possible to carry out an investigation that includes the totality of the population.

But for a sample to be reliable, it must be representative of the population, that is, it must allow the characteristics of the set being analyzed to be observed.

Population

A population, also called universe or target population, is a group of elements about which you want to obtain information and that can be a set of people, objects, places, events, texts, etc. For example: All the means of transport that circulate in a city.

In statistics, the elements of a population are called individuals. These can be real (those that exist in the world, for example, the cars that a factory produces) or hypothetical (those that could come to exist, for example, the income that can be generated by a product that has not yet been released market).

In different fields, such as scientific, governmental and economic, populations are analyzed with the aim of collecting data that allows obtaining more knowledge about them.

Population types

There are two types of population:

Sample

In many statistical investigations, it is not possible to analyze all the individuals of a population, because they are widely dispersed or because the process is extremely expensive. For this reason, a sample is selected, that is, a part or a subset of the totality that is to be studied. For example: 3,500 vehicles that circulate in the city and that were selected from a population of 500,000.

Furthermore, by including fewer individuals than the population, samples save time and resources in data collection and analysis. But it should always be considered that the number of elements must be sufficient for the subset is representative with respect to the set and allows drawing conclusions and making inferences about the whole.

To reduce errors and bias in obtaining data on a population, techniques of sampling, which determine how many individuals should be included in the sample and how the selection process should be.

sample types

There are different types of sample, which are classified according to the techniques used to select individuals:

Population and Sample Examples

1. The Ministry of Education of a city is studying the characteristics of schools.

• Population: All schools in the city.
• Sample: 30 randomly selected city schools.

1. A team of geographers is studying the characteristics of the Andes mountains.

• Population: All the mountains of the Andes mountain range.
• Sample: 30 mountains selected according to their height.

1. A group of economists is studying what the profits of organic food producers are like.

• Population: All organic food producers in a country.
• Sample: 500 randomly selected organic food producers.

1. A team of marketing is studying what are the favorite colors of clothing store customers.

• Population: All individuals from different cities in the country.
• Sample: Customers from 10 cities in the country chosen at random.

1. A group of zoologists is investigating the life cycle of butterflies in the Amazon rainforest.

• Population: All the butterflies that inhabit this tropical forest.
• Sample: 30 individuals from each cluster, that is, from each type of butterfly.

1. A team of researchers is studying the diet of high-performance athletes.

• Population: All high-performance athletes.
• Sample: 500 randomly selected high-performance athletes.

1. A group of economists is studying how inflation occurs in different countries.

• Population: All the countries.
• Sample: 50 randomly chosen countries.

1. A group of researchers is studying the characteristics of standardized tests.

• Population: All standardized tests in a country.
• Sample: 40 randomly chosen standardized tests.

1. An environmental NGO is studying the degree of knowledge that people have about recycling.

• Population: All the inhabitants of a country.
• Sample: 1,500 individuals chosen at random.

1. A meteorologist is studying the increase in temperature in different regions of the planet.

• Population: All places on the planet.
• Sample: Random selection of 10 places from each cluster, that is, from each continent.

1. A journalist is investigating the opinion of citizens about the current government.

• Population: All citizens over 18 years of age.
• Sample: 1,000 randomly selected citizens.

1. A music magazine is investigating which are the songs most listened to by the public.

• Population: All the inhabitants of a city.
• Sample: 3,000 randomly chosen individuals.

1. A team of researchers is studying the characteristics of water from different springs.

• Population: The springs of Peru, Bolivia and Chile.
• Sample: 15 springs chosen according to the environment in which they are found.

1. A team of astronomers has to test a hypothesis about the stars.

• Population: All the stars.
• Sample: The 50 closest stars to planet Earth, since it is easier to observe them.

1. A group of linguists is studying the variants of current Spanish.

• Population: All people who speak Spanish.
• Sample: 1,000 individuals chosen at random from each country where Spanish is the official language.

1. A team of business researchers is studying internship programs at companies.

• Population: All companies that have internship programs.
• Sample: 30 randomly selected companies.

1. A team of communication students is studying which are the most read newspapers and why.

• Population: All the inhabitants of a country.
• Sample: 500 randomly selected inhabitants.

1. An architect is researching the characteristics of the apartments built in the last ten years.

• Population: All apartments built in the last ten years.
• Sample: A random selection of 70 apartments built in the last ten years.

1. The Ministry of Health is studying how many people have the complete vaccination schedule.

• Population: All the inhabitants of a country.
• Sample: 3,000 inhabitants of that country selected at random.

1. A team of ophthalmologists is studying the consequences on sight caused by the use of cell phones.

• Population: All the inhabitants of a city.
• Sample: Ophthalmology patients attending three selected hospitals.

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