Many sciences studying various processes insociety, people's attitudes to certain phenomena and problems, interpersonal and group relationships, use not only theoretical knowledge accumulated and systematized over the years, but also empirical research, which is extremely important and significant for a deeper study and understanding of many social processes and phenomena. Empirical sociological research is the recording, registration of specific social characteristic facts necessary for understanding and studying certain relations, phenomena, and events occurring in society. It differs from theoretical knowledge in that it does not operate with relative general scientific theories, concepts and categories, but analyzes the “living, real” behavior of people, their judgments and opinions, and the result of activity. Such a study is necessary in order to obtain more complete, truthful, reliable and reliable information about the process being studied. Moreover, empirical research is a well-organized scientific procedure, which is based on a specially developed scheme, in which certain technologies are used, including the organization of the sample for research.
In sociology, there are three main types of obtainingInformation: universal, local and selective research. The latter is used most often, because to make it easier, less time and other resources are required. It is very important to organize the right sample, since the accuracy and objectivity of the information received will depend on it. Sampling in a sociological survey is conducted in such a way that it reflects the trends characteristic of the entire general population (the population of a city, country, employees of an enterprise, etc.). Thus, the necessary information obtained from a sociological survey of 300–500 people can be extrapolated to the entire population of the city or to all employees of an enterprise, which will allow a different look at the studied social and economic processes in a particular region or society as a whole.
Выборка в социологическом исследовании строится according to a certain scheme, which should prepare its representativeness, i.e. scientific consistency, completeness and truthfulness of the data obtained in the course of the survey, and the possibility of extrapolating them to the general population. Problems of ensuring representativeness are quite complex and are considered by statistics. The difficulty lies in the fact that the sample in a sociological study provided not only a quantitative representation of the general population (that is, there should be so many people in the sample that the data obtained from their survey could be extended to society as a whole), but also a qualitative representation (i.e. it should include all existing groups whose opinion is important for this study). Thus, the concept of “sampling” in sociology is considered in two aspects. First, it is the part of the population that is to be studied, and secondly, it is the part of the population, during the formation of which the condition of its representativeness must be met.
There are various types of samples.This can be a spontaneous sample, when people are selected in a group according to the principle of voluntariness and accessibility. Most often, such a survey takes place with the help of mailings and publications in the mass media. This is the most economical type of sampling, but also the most unreliable, because it least meets the condition of representativeness. The most commonly used type is random sampling. In this case, the opportunity to participate in the survey of any member of society. Random sampling is made using tables of random numbers, lottery or mechanical selection. Finally, there is a stratified or quota selection. It is created multistage. First, a general sample is formed taking into account all the parameters necessary for the study. Then there is a selection in the sample with these parameters.
Выборка в социологическом исследовании it is also divided into simple single-stage, serial, when a family, social or professional group, etc., is taken as the unit of selection, as well as a multistage, when the selection of respondents takes place in several stages, for example, industry - enterprise - shop - team and so on
Properly organized sample, taking into account allparameters of representativeness, plays a huge role in sociological research. Indeed, on the basis of the empirical data obtained from a survey of just 10% of respondents, one can understand the essence of the complex processes taking place in society as a whole.
