Convenience Sample

Pronunciation: /kənˈviːnɪəns ˈsæm.pəl/ Explain

A convenience sample^[2] is a sample taken from a part of a population that is easy to sample. A convenience sample is not a scientific sample.

An important example of a convenience sample not being a representative sample is the polling done for the 1936 U.S. presidential election.^[3] The pollsters used telephone records and car registration records in a time when only the more wealthy people could afford such luxuries. This caused the poll to be skewed towards the opinions of wealthier Americans. The poll predicted Republican Alf Landon would win against Franklin Roosevelt by a landslide. In fact, Franklin Roosevelt won.

References

1. McAdams, David E.. All Math Words Dictionary, convenience sample. 2nd Classroom edition 20150108-4799968. pg 46. Life is a Story Problem LLC. January 8, 2015. Buy the book
2. Stat Trek. Convenience Sample. stattrek.com. Stat Trek. Last Accessed 6/25/2018. https://stattrek.com/statistics/dictionary.aspx?definition=convenience%20sample.
3. Qualtrics. The 1936 Election – A Polling Catastrophe. www.qualtrics.com. Qualtrics. October 12, 2010. Last Accessed 6/25/2018. https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/the-1936-election-a-polling-catastrophe/.

Cite this article as:

McAdams, David E. Convenience Sample. 12/21/2018. All Math Words Encyclopedia. Life is a Story Problem LLC. http://www.allmathwords.org/en/c/conveniencesample.html.

Revision History

12/21/2018: Reviewed and corrected IPA pronunication. (McAdams, David E.)
6/25/2018: Removed broken links, updated license, implemented new markup, updated GeoGebra apps. (McAdams, David E.)
5/5/2011: Initial version. (McAdams, David E.)