ACCA Applied Knowledge · Management Accounting · Sampling methods
A firm researching demand for a specialist software product asks its first five buyers to name other businesses that might buy it, then interviews those named, and repeats the process. Which method is this?
This is snowball sampling. Initial respondents recommend further respondents, who in turn name others, so the sample builds up through referrals. It is non-random and suits hard-to-find populations such as specialist buyers, unlike quota sampling, which fills preset category numbers.
- ASnowball samplingCorrect
- BQuota sampling
- CSystematic sampling
- DStratified sampling
Explanation
In snowball sampling, existing respondents identify further respondents, so the sample grows like a rolling snowball. It is useful for hard-to-reach populations. Quota sampling would use preset category numbers instead.
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