Basically for you to be able to work out sample size you need to have a set
of indicators that you want to measure. Most of the times your study
objectives will spell out what you want to measure. For example one of your
indicators would be the propotion of under five children who are fully
immunized. If you have several indicators, your sample size will be based on
the indicator that gives you the largest sample.If you do not have baseline
values for your indicators, you use literature to find out what the values
for those indicators are in populations of similar charateristics to your
target population. If you cannot obtain them, then you can resort to 50%.
Have I been helpfull full enough.
Regards
Misheck
----- Original Message -----
From: "Louise Swainston" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2004 11:46 AM
Subject: Query: Population Sampling
> Hi Allstat,
> This may sound like a very simple question or it may not.
>
> If I have a population of 2.3 million people and I want to draw some
> conclusions about them, what size sample do I need to take? I know nothing
> about the population I am sampling from, so I don't know what's
> representative, is there some rule of thumb about sample sizes? I am
> likely
> to be looking at a number of different things in the population of which I
> know nothing, so I can't just assume that 50% do something and calculate
> sample sizes that way can I?
>
> Regards
> Louise
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