Population and Census – Statistics Notes
Population: The whole group consisting of every single item.
A population can be finite or infinite.
Finite: It is possible to count how many members there are in the population (e.g. number of
students in a school).
Infinite: It is impossible to count how many members there are in the population (e.g. leaves in a
forest).
Census: Collecting information from every member of a population – a survey of the whole
population.
Advantages of a Census:
• Accurate representation as every member is surveyed.
• Unbiased results.
Disadvantages of a Census:
• For large populations, it takes lots of time and effort to implement.
• Can be expensive to carry out.
• Difficult to ensure all members are surveyed – if some are missed, the results may be biased.
• If test items are used up or damaged during the process, the census is impractical.