Published on August 9, 2022 by Kassiani Nikolopoulou. Revised on December 1, 2022. Convenience sampling is a non-probability sampling method where
units are selected for inclusion in the sample because they are the easiest for the researcher to access. This can be due to geographical proximity, availability at a given time, or willingness to participate in the research. Sometimes called accidental sampling, convenience sampling is a type of non-random sampling. To collect your data, you stand at a subway station and approach passersby, asking them whether they want to participate in your research. You continue to ask until the sample size is reached. Note:
Make sure not to confuse random selection with stopping passersby at random. Convenience sampling is often used in qualitative and medical research studies. In medical research, convenience sampling often involves selecting clinical cases or participants that are available around a particular location (such as a hospital) or a medical records database. In
qualitative research, convenience sampling is often used in social sciences and education where it’s convenient to use pre-existing groups, such as students. Convenience sampling could be a good fit for your research if:
Be aware that convenience sampling can introduce several types of research bias, such as selection bias and sampling bias. Convenience sampling examplesThere are several ways to draw a convenience sample. Here are a few examples:
Example: Online convenience samplingYou are researching how parents use a popular online parenting forum. You want to find out if parents are likely to participate in discussions online or just “lurk,” as well as what kind of information they are seeking there. Since it’s an online community, there is no membership list to use as a sampling frame. This is a good scenario for using convenience sampling. You decide to draw a convenience sample of 100 users. You create a pop-up ad that invites users to complete your online survey, which the administrators agree to place on the website.To entice users to participate, a prize draw is mentioned in the ad. Example: Convenience sampling based on locationSuppose you are researching why people visit Monroe Lake Recreation Area, a popular recreational destination in your county. To gather insights, you stand in a parking area and approach people at random, asking them if they would be interested in participating in a five-minute anonymous survey on their preferred recreational activities. To maximize the number of responses, you also create flyers with a scannable QR code and a shortened URL link. You place them at the Welcome Center and other locations around the lake. Crowdsourced convenience samplingYou are conducting research into attitudes toward depression. You are interested in the difference between collectivistic and individualistic cultures. As an early-career researcher, you do not have an extensive international network. You decide to use a crowdsourcing platform, like Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). MTurk covers a wide range of demographic populations both in the United States and internationally. This enables you to access a more diverse pool of respondents in exchange for monetary compensation. Here, you set up a short survey for screening purposes. You can then separate out people who qualify for your longer survey, rewarding them with bonus pay. Alternatively, you can email participants if they qualify for the longer survey, or set location-specific criteria, so as to meet the collectivist or individualist criterion. Example: Convenience sampling of a pre-existing groupYou are doing a survey to investigate work satisfaction at a large camping gear company in your town. The manager has given you permission to conduct your research but cannot give you a list of all employees due to privacy regulations. As you do not have a sampling frame, you cannot use probability sampling. Instead, you decide to use convenience sampling. You stand next to the coffee machine and approach random employees, asking them to fill in your quick survey. Receive feedback on language, structure and formattingProfessional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on:
See an example How to reduce bias in convenience samplingConvenience samples are quite prone to research bias.
Despite these limitations, there are steps that you can take as a researcher to reduce bias in research. Here are a few options:
Overall, avoid overstating your research findings. Remember that findings based on a convenience sample only apply to the selected cases or participant group. By definition, they cannot be generalized to the target population. TipMany research studies, particularly in the behavioral sciences, rely heavily on samples from undergraduate students. These have the potential for limited external validity and run the risk of including a disproportionately large number of “WEIRD” participants: Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic.In a research context, crowdsourcing can help you avoid overly WEIRD samples because it draws from a large and diverse population. Advantages and disadvantages of convenience samplingAs with any sampling method, convenience sampling has its advantages and disadvantages. It is important to be aware of these, so you can decide if it is the best fit for your research design.
Depending on your research design, there are advantages to using convenience sampling.
Convenience sampling has its disadvantages as well, and it’s not a good fit for every study.
Frequently asked questions about convenience samplingWhat is the difference between quota sampling and convenience sampling? Convenience sampling and quota sampling are both non-probability sampling methods. They both use non-random criteria like availability, geographical proximity, or expert knowledge to recruit study participants. However, in convenience sampling, you continue to sample units or cases until you reach the required sample size. In quota sampling, you first need to divide your population of interest into subgroups (strata) and estimate their proportions (quota) in the population. Then you can start your data collection, using convenience sampling to recruit participants, until the proportions in each subgroup coincide with the estimated proportions in the population. Cite this Scribbr articleIf you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
Is this article helpful?You have already voted. Thanks :-) Your vote is saved :-) Processing your vote... When everyone participating in a survey has an equal chance of being selected?Simple random sampling. In simple random sampling (SRS), each sampling unit of a population has an equal chance of being included in the sample. Consequently, each possible sample also has an equal chance of being selected.
When everyone in a population under investigation has an equal chance of being included?Simple random sampling is the basic sampling technique where we select a group of subjects (a sample) for study from a larger group (a population). Each individual is chosen entirely by chance and each member of the population has an equal chance of being included in the sample.
When participants have an equal chance of being placed in any group of the study?What is random assignment? In experimental research, random assignment is a way of placing participants from your sample into different groups using randomization. With this method, every member of the sample has a known or equal chance of being placed in a control group or an experimental group.
What is the term for the procedure in which every participant has an equal chance?Random assignment refers to the use of chance procedures in psychology experiments to ensure that each participant has the same opportunity to be assigned to any given group.
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