Activity 9.1
Evaluating Samples Reported in Articles in Professional Journals

The following are descriptions of samples taken from studies reported in social science professional journals. After reading each one, (1) describe the theoretical population that is sampled, (2) describe the sample elements, and (3) critically comment on the representativeness of each sample.

1. "The first study, providing a representative sample of German youth and young adults from age fifteen to thirty was conducted by SINUS/Infratest under contract from the Federal Ministry of Youth Family and Health. It was conducted in July and August 1982 and includes over 2,012 individuals, of whom about 1,474 were between fifteen and twenty-four. The second sample survey makes use of a quota sample of 1,472 young people (aged fifteen to twenty-four) and was conducted in April and May 1984." (Watts, Meredith W. "Orientations Toward Conventional and Unconventional Participation Among West German Youth, Comparative Political Studies, 23 (October 1990), 287-288.)
2. "Face to Face interviews were conducted with 1,393 respondents in twenty-one regions of Russia during November through December 1992 by ROMIR (Russian Public Opinion and Market Research). The referent population was permanent residents of the Russian Federation, aged eighteen and older. The multistage sample was stratified first by regions and then by cities and villages, with a probability proportionate to unit size. Respondents were drawn randomly with each sampling point. The response rate was 79.5 percent; 10.5 percent of the sample could not be located or were unable to participate in the survey; 11 percent refused. Interviewers made three attempts to contact each respondent. (Bahry, Donna, Cynthia Boaz, and Stacy Burnett Gordon. "Tolerance, Transition, and Support for Civil Liberties in Russia," Comparative Political Studies 30 (August 1997, 492.)
3. "This study focuses on the individual votes of the Supreme Court justices in eight states (Arizona, California, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas) from 1983 to 1988 in the death penalty decisions issued by these courts. We selected these particular state supreme courts for evaluation because they exhibit substantial variability in their propensity to uphold death sentences. These courts also exhibit wide and sufficient variation in all variables to be examined in this analysis." (Hall, Melinda Gann, and Paul Brace. "Justices' Responses to Case Facts: An Interactive Model," American Politics Quarterly, 24 (April 1996), 244.)
4. "Data for this study came from a survey administered to a convenience sample of 520 undergraduate students at a large public university in the midwestern United States. The survey, which was conducted during March and April 1997, consisted of a self-administered questionnaire on topics that included beliefs about the characteristics of various media, general attitudes toward computer technology, frequency and patterns of using the World Wide Web, and estimates of time spent using various media." (Althuas, Scott L., and David Tewksbury. "Patterns of Internet and Traditional News Media Use in a Networked Community," Political Communication, 17 (January-March 2000), 29.)
5. "It was decided therefore to conduct a content analysis of news about Land Day. The analysis covered the years 1977 (the year following the first confrontation) to 1997 in two newspapers, Yediot Ahronot and Ha'aretz. Yediot Ahronot has a more "popular" format and is by far the best selling newspaper in Israel. Ha'aretz is considered a "quality" newspaper and is read mostly by social and political elites of the country, and has a more subdued, intellectual format. All relevant articles that appeared in Yediot Ahronot and Ha'aretz during the two weeks before and after Land Day were included in the analysis. A total of 167 articles appeared in Ha'aretz and 199 in Yediot. (Wolfsfeld, Gadi, Eli Avraham, and Issam Aburaiya. "When Prophesy Always Fails: Israel Press Coverage of the Arab Minority's Land Day Protests," Political Communication, 17 (April-June 2000): 120.)
6. "A sample of MTV commercials was recorded on videotape during five weekdays in mid-November 1991. Six hours of MTV programming were recorded each day, half between the hours of 3:00 and 6:00 P.M. and half between the hours of 9:00 and midnight, the hours (after school and late evening) when adolescents are most likely to watch MTV. In total, 550 commercials were recorded. Eliminating repeat commercials, the final sample consisted of 119 individual commercials." (Signorielli, Nancy, Douglas McLeod, and Elaine Healy. "Gender Stereotypes in MTV Commercials: The Beat Goes On," Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media (Winter 1994), 93.)
7. "For purposes of analysis, we use data from a probability survey conducted by the University of Kentucky Survey Research Center, which interviewed 501 adults in the greater Lexington, Kentucky area. Respondents were selected through a variant of random digit dialing procedures between June 22 and July 5, 1994. Because the survey was initially designed to examine whites' attitudes toward race and crime, only white adults participated." (Hurwitz, Jon, and Shannon Smithey. "Gender Differences on Crime and Punishment," Political Research Quarterly, 51 (March 1998), 96.)