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Snowball Sampling

Description:

Snowball sampling is an approach for locating information-rich key informants¹. Using this approach, a few potential respondents are contacted and asked whether they know of anybody with the characteristics that you are looking for in your research. For example, if you wanted to interview a sample of vegetarians/cyclists/people with a particular disability/people who support a particular political party etc., your initial contacts may well have knowledge (e.g. through a support group) of others².

Snowball sampling is not a stand-alone tool; the tool is a way of selecting participants and then using other tools, such as interviews or surveys. Having identified those with the skills and/or knowledge or characteristics you require, you would then approach these people to invite them to participate in a community consultation process.

Objectives:

Snowball sampling is designed to identify people with particular knowledge, skills or characteristics that are needed as part of a committee and/or consultative process. Snowball sampling uses recommendations to find people with the specific range of skills that has been determined as being useful, as such, snowball sampling aims to make use of community knowledge about those who have skills or information in particular areas.

Outcomes:

Snowball sampling allows you to identify the resources within a community and to select those people best suited for the needs of a project or process.

Uses/strengths:

• Helps to determine stakeholders.
• Increases the number of participants in process.
• Builds on resources of existing networks.
• Determines stakeholders unknown to you.

Special considerations/weaknesses:

• Choice of initial contacts is most important.
• Participation process should be drafted prior to the sampling to encourage participation from potential contacts.

Resources required:

• Staff
• Telephones
• Recording materials (notebooks, audiotapes)

Can be used for:

• Engage community
• Discover community issues
• Develop community capacity
• Communicate an issue

Number of people required to help organise:

• Medium (2-12 people)

Audience size:

• Large (> 30)
• Medium (10-30)

Time required:

• Medium (6 weeks - 6 months)
• Short (< 6 weeks)

Skill level/support required:

• Medium (Computer & other expertise)

Cost:

• Medium (AUD$1,000 - AUD$10,000)
• Low (< AUD$1,000)

Participation level:

• High (Stakeholders participate in decision)

Innovation level:

• Low (Traditional)

Method:

1. Draft up a participation program (likely to be subject to change, but indicative).
2. Approach stakeholders and ask for contacts.
3. Gain contacts and ask them to participate.
4. Community issues groups may emerge that can be included in the participation program.
5. Continue the snowballing with contacts to gain more stakeholders if necessary.
6. Ensure a diversity of contacts by widening the profile of persons involved in the snowballing exercise.

References:

• Patton, M (1990) Qualitative evaluation and research methods, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, California

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¹ Patton, M (1990) Qualitative evaluation and research methods, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, California

² http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/~kate/qmcweb/s8.htm