Our sample size calculator can help you gather information about a larger population. Sampling is important to statistics because the information can be acquired faster and more cost effectively than by gathering information from the entire population. Getting the right sample size is vital for collecting reliable data on a population. If a small sample is used then it could result in a wider confidence interval for the data. This can produce misleading or inaccurate results. Likewise using a larger sample size will help produce more precise results. For example, if we were trying to find a proportion of men that developed baldness we would get a more accurate sample if we surveyed or observed 1,000 men instead of only 20. Using a sample size calculator will help you determine the appropriate sample size to ensure you collect accurate data.

Another thing to consider when choosing a sample size is to make sure the sample is from the same population. This can be easy to choose if you were trying to study how tall sunflowers grow, but other times decisions might need to be made to decide what constitutes a population. This is another area to watch to ensure accurate results. A person would also want to make sure the sample size is not being affected by any bias. In political surveys one must be careful to not have a sample of the population in certain geographical or economical locations alone, but would need to get a broad sample to ensure greater accuracy.

This sample size calculator can help you determine what sample size is appropriate depending on how accurate you want the results to be and how large the population. To use the sample size calculator simply select the confidence interval and the confidence level you want. Then enter the population and the calculator will do the rest.