Which of the following is an advantage of random sampling?

Which of the following is an advantage of random sampling?

• A. It has bias
• B. Every person or location has an equal chance of being selected
• C. It guarantees representativeness
• D. It is time consuming

Answer: (B)

Random sampling is designed so that every unit has an equal chance of being selected. That equal-probability principle reduces the influence of the researcher’s choices and other biases, so the sample is more likely to reflect the broad population. Because of this, the results can be generalized more confidently beyond the group actually studied. It’s important to note that equal chance doesn’t guarantee perfect representativeness—sampling variability and issues like non-response can still affect accuracy. The other statements describe potential drawbacks or misbeliefs (bias, guaranteed representativeness, or time consumption) and aren’t advantages of this method.

Random sampling is designed so that every unit has an equal chance of being selected. That equal-probability principle reduces the influence of the researcher’s choices and other biases, so the sample is more likely to reflect the broad population. Because of this, the results can be generalized more confidently beyond the group actually studied. It’s important to note that equal chance doesn’t guarantee perfect representativeness—sampling variability and issues like non-response can still affect accuracy. The other statements describe potential drawbacks or misbeliefs (bias, guaranteed representativeness, or time consumption) and aren’t advantages of this method.