In sociology and statistics research, snowball sampling[1] (or chain sampling, chain-referral sampling, referral sampling[2][3]) is a nonprobability sampling technique where existing study subjects recruit future subjects from among their acquaintances. Thus the sample group is said to grow like a rolling snowball. As the sample builds up, enough data are gathered to be useful for research. This sampling technique is often used in hidden populations, such as drug users or sex workers, which are difficult for researchers to access.
As sample members are not selected from a sampling frame, snowball samples are subject to numerous biases. For example, people who have many friends are more likely to be recruited into the sample. When virtual social networks are used, then this technique is called virtual snowball sampling.[4]
It was widely believed that it was impossible to make unbiased estimates from snowball samples, but a variation of snowball sampling called respondent-driven sampling[5][6][7]
has been shown to allow researchers to make asymptotically unbiased estimates from snowball samples under certain conditions. Snowball sampling and respondent-driven sampling also allows researchers to make estimates about the social network connecting the hidden population.
^"Snowball Sampling". Experiment-resources.com. (accessed 8 May 2011).
^"Snowball sampling". changingminds.org. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
^Cite error: The named reference Baltar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^
Heckathorn, D.D. (1997). "Respondent-Driven Sampling: A New Approach to the Study of Hidden Populations". Social Problems. 44 (2): 174–199. doi:10.1525/sp.1997.44.2.03x0221m.
^
Salganik, M.J.; D.D. Heckathorn (2004). "Sampling and Estimation in Hidden Populations Using Respondent-Driven Sampling". Sociological Methodology. 34 (1): 193–239. doi:10.1111/j.0081-1750.2004.00152.x. S2CID 16626030.
^
Heckathorn, D.D. (2002). "Respondent-Driven Sampling II: Deriving Valid Estimates from Chain-Referral Samples of Hidden Populations". Social Problems. 49 (1): 11–34. doi:10.1525/sp.2002.49.1.11.
science research, snowballsampling, or "snowballing": a technique for developing a research sample In researching a field, snowballing is another name...
selected until the required sample size is achieved. Along with convenience sampling and snowballsampling, consecutive sampling is one of the most commonly...
studied. Probability sampling, or random sampling, is a sampling technique in which the probability of getting any particular sample may be calculated....
(convenience sampling, purposive sampling, snowballsampling). The most common reason for sampling is to obtain information about a population. Sampling is quicker...
probability sample of the household population in the United States are Area Probability Sampling, Random Digit Dial telephone sampling, and more recently...
A significant number of studies rely on small samples, often recruited from referrals, snowball-sampling, and websites devoted to polyamory. Individuals...
determination Sample space Sample (statistics) Sample-continuous process Sampling (statistics) Simple random samplingSnowballsampling Systematic sampling Stratified...
research in conflict environments: Methodological challenges and snowballsampling". Journal of Peace Research. 48 (4): 423–436. doi:10.1177/0022343311405698...
methodology noting Equality Labs study "relied on a nonrepresentative snowballsampling method to recruit respondents. Furthermore, respondents who did not...
sampling. Conversely, the impossibility of random sampling sometimes necessitates nonprobability sampling, such as convenience sampling or snowball sampling...
researchers pointed out that the study used a non-representative snowballsampling method to identify participants, which might have skewed the results...
researchers pointed out that the study used a non-representative snowballsampling method to identify participants, which might have skewed the results...
research in conflict environments: methodological challenges and snowballsampling". Journal of Peace Research. 48 (4): 423–436. doi:10.1177/0022343311405698...
Terrell A. Hayes conducted in-depth interviews with a convenience and snowballsample of forty-six members of DA Hayes found many of the members interviewed...
1957) from Prince County, that he had a white cat named Snowball. The detectives obtained a sample of the cat's blood, intending to use DNA fingerprinting...
from neighboring Mali, Burkina Faso and Togo. According to a 2009 snowballsampling study, the majority of those with childhood cocoa labour experience...
population. These are positively correlated with suicidality. One snowballsampling study of 1,612 LGBT Mormon and former Mormon respondents in 2015 found...
Initial studies eligible for Copyright Evidence were identified using a snowballsampling methodology, beginning with a literature review by Watson, Zizzo and...
innovation process. They propose first to sample a group of potential stakeholders through snowballsampling, afterwards interview these people and assess...
harassment — sexual script — sick role — significant other — simulation — snowballsampling — for entries beginning with social, see sections below — socialism...
nucleus is the solid, central part of a comet, formerly termed a dirty snowball or an icy dirtball. A cometary nucleus is composed of rock, dust, and frozen...
methane, and ammonia. As such, they are popularly described as "dirty snowballs" after Fred Whipple's model. Comets with a higher dust content have been...
battle) gradually smears Snowball to the point of saying he is a collaborator of Mr. Jones, even dismissing the fact that Snowball was given an award of...
various Pagan newsletters and gatherings, attaining responses through a snowballsampling method. Chapter one, entitled "Doing is Knowing: Introduction and...
Global Information