Media and Sample Populations

In market research as well as academic research, a sample is often used in helping researchers study characteristics of a larger population. In your text, you read about how samples are used to make generalizations or inferences about populations using what is called inferential statistics. Imagine for a moment you are asked to find out the likelihood that a particular subset of the population would purchase a product offered by your company. Since it would not be possible to ask everyone in the population, sampling the population can give you a view into the probable purchasing behavior of your target population.

Also you found a claim on a marketing website that said their products have sold well with the market of 18- to 25-year-old male young professionals. What kind of sample do you think was used to make that claim? How would you reproduce that sample selection? This Discussion will allow you to evaluate advantages and disadvantages of sampling in the media.

To prepare: Consider an example of a sample you might find in the news media (e.g., advertisement, television news program, newspaper, web, or magazine article). Identify an example where a sample is used to represent a larger population