5.7 Cluster sampling

In cluster sampling, the population is split into a large number of small groups called clusters, then a simple random sample of clusters is selected and every member of the chosen small groups is part of the sample.

Example 5.4 (Cluster sampling) To select students in this course again, a simple random sample of (say) three of the many SCI110 tutorials could be selected, and every student enrolled in those selected tutorials constitute the sample.

The animation below shows how a sample of approximately 40 students could be obtained using cluster sampling, using the tutorials as clusters.