About this calculator
Choosing a simple random sample
In a simple random sample, every group of n members of the population has the same chance of being chosen. To pick one, give each member of the population a number, then let random numbers choose who is in the sample.
Usually you want no repeats, because you don't want to survey the same person twice. Click Generate a new sample for a fresh set of numbers.
Why randomness matters
Choosing people yourself, or letting them volunteer, tends to produce biased samples. Random selection is what lets results from the sample be generalized to the population.