Quota Sampling

Quota sampling falls under the category of nonprob-ability sampling. Sampling involves the selection of a portion of the population being studied. In probability sampling each element in the population has a known nonzero chance of being selected through the use of a random selection procedure such as simple random sampling. Nonprobability sampling does not involve known nonzero probabilities of selection. Rather, subjective methods are used to decide which elements should be included in the sample. In non-probability sampling the population may not be well defined. Nonprobability sampling is often divided into three categories: purposive sampling, convenience sampling, and quota sampling.

Quota sampling has some similarities to stratified sampling. The basic idea of quota sampling is to set a target number of completed interviews with specifie subgroups ...