3. Sources of data > 3.2 Generating your own data > 3.2.1. Understanding population and sample
iii. Defining a population
Defining a population is an important first step when you are asking questions and looking for information.
Scenario
Imagine you are planning to conduct research to find out what percentage of Australians favoured a relaxation of the current gun laws.
Test your knowledge
Question
How would you define (specify) the population of Australians that should be part of this study? Select the most suitable answer from the options below:
a) Australians
b) Australians 18 years of age
c) Australian citizens and permanent residents over 18 years of age
d) People from Sydney
Answer
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There is no single answer to this question, but you do need to consider factors such as age and citizenship when defining your population of Australians. Perhaps in this case c) is the most complete answer. However, d) must be rejected since opinions of Sydney people alone are not expected to be representative of Australia as a whole
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