Factors on this decision include budget constraints, sample availability, time available, etc. Obviously a sample of 1000 individuals will produce more accurate survey results versus a sample of only 100 people. This is simply because generally, a larger group of people will more accurately reflect the attitudes of an even larger group, simply because there is more individual variety, and this therefore will yield a larger variance in answers.
Now, admittedly this is a general and over-simplified answer. Complicated statistics on sample sizes, confidence intervals, and statistical validity on how all of these relate would better explain how this all works.
A similar question was posted on Infosurv’s website, and the following response was provided:
– Originally sourced from: http://www.infosurv.com/blog/2005/01/market-research-survey-questions.html#comments
“n” in this case simply represents the number of people comprising the sample.
As you can see then, there needs to be a decent sized sample in order to eliminate as much bias as possible. This does not mean that it is necessary to conduct a survey with 100,000 participants in order to get accurate answers.
What does this mean for you?
When there is a chance to win cash or a prize as a survey taker for an online survey panel, your chances of winning are decent. The chances of winning the jackpot in a national lottery are usually less than 1 in 10,000,000, and you must purchase a ticket, which involves a cost. With online surveys, you could very well be offered a chance to win a cash prize worth hundreds of dollars for a mere 15 minutes of your time. If there are only a few hundred other people who complete the survey, you could very well walk away as the lucky winner!
SurveyPolice is the world’s largest dedicated resource for online survey taking information. Discover which paid survey sites are the most reputable, based on over 18,500 reviews.
