We know almost nothing directly about whole populations
Many students’ exam answers about methods focus heavily on the potential flaws and problems with the use of quantitative data, particularly official statistics. While giving a useful summary of some of these problems, this article provides an interesting counterbalance.
John MacInnes offers a clear guide to populations, sampling and random sampling. Take careful note of his ‘three useful rules’ regarding statistics, which will help you gain a much better understanding of some of the uses (and abuses) of statistics for sociologists.
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