Sampling frame
A sampling frame is the enumerated list of units from which a sample is drawn.
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The population and the sampling frame are two overlapping sets. Units in both are correctly covered and available for sampling. Units in the population but outside the frame — households without a listed phone number, for instance — are under-covered and invisible to the survey. Units listed in the frame but no longer in the population, such as dissolved firms on an old register, are over-coverage.
Where it fits
TopicFoundations: Data, Populations & SamplingCoreSubjectData Analysis & StatisticsCore
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PracticeCORE
An online retailer wants to survey its customers about delivery satisfaction. It uses its e-mail database from eighteen months ago as the sampling frame. Which type of bias does this choice primarily introduce, and what is its cause?
Select an answer to check your understanding.