The population is defined as all citizens present or temporarily absent from a country as well as foreigners permanently settled in a different country. This indicator represents the number of people who normally live in a given area whereas the growth rate defines the annual population changes caused by births, deaths, and net migration over the year. Let us dive in deeper and gain in-depth knowledge about the target population definition and the difference between population and target population.
1. What are the Two Groups of Population?
The population can be divided into different groups based on different factors:
- The first category is on the basis of the size it can be categorized as the Finite population in which the number of units is limited and can be counted and the Infinite population where the number of units is infinite and cannot be counted.
- The second category is on the basis of existence as an Existent population where the units are actually present and there is concrete evidence of their existence and the Hypothetical population where the units are not confirmed and estimated on the basis of observation and assumption.
2. What does Target Population Mean? What is Target Population Definition?
The target population definition is the group of individuals for whom the survey intends to conduct for the purpose of research and draw conclusions based on various categories and genres. The target population is also known as the theoretical population as this group of people possesses particular characteristics that may be accurately defined to separate them from the overall population, as this group is the target to understand their interests and preferences.
It is essential to identify persons who are the target group of the study’s topic when doing any research. For example, a study on ongoing trends and fast fashion would often engage a younger audience, making teenagers and young adults the target audience.
3. What is the Target Population Example?
The term target population refers to the entire set of people or elements to which researchers want to extend their observations. The target population is the group to whom we aim to relate our findings and wish to make conclusions, while a sample is a specific group from whom we will collect data. In addition, survey sampling of the target population definition helps in selecting and surveying individuals from a specific group based on a variety of factors.
Target population examples can be a company’s client base, the population of a specific country, students at a specific institution, or residents of a housing society. Check out How to Make a List of Human Qualities Characteristics?
4. What is the Target Population for the Survey?
A survey in human subjects research is a set of questions aimed at gathering specific information from a specified population of people. A survey can be conducted by cell phone, mail, social media, or marketplaces. The first stage in constructing a survey based on the target population definition is to establish study objectives. The target population for the survey is:
- The target population for the survey is the entire set of elements for which the survey data will be used to form conclusions about the data. Moreover, with the help of a survey, you will be able to gain a deeper understanding of issues and gain in-depth knowledge about them.
- The target audience assists in selecting a specific set of people whose opinions on a given topic are taken into account according to the research they summarise and draw conclusions.
- Therefore, the primary goal of the research is the target population, while the survey is used to gain a deeper understanding of that population.
5. Why is Target Population Important?
The target audience is important for three reasons:
- The target population definition establishes a clear direction for the objective and scope of the data and research kinds.
- Defines the characteristics of the persons who are eligible for the study.
- For determining sample size, provides the extent of the complete population or universe.
6. What is Target Population and Sample Size?
The target population refers to the group of people regarding whom the survey is supposed to be conducted. While conducting any study it is important to recognize the people who are elementary to the topic of the study. For example, a study related to the popularity of rock music would generally involve a younger audience making teenagers and young adults the target audience.
Another important element while selecting a target audience is selecting the sample size as in the earlier example these teenagers and young adults can be from a colony, a city, or even a country. Studying more people may give varying results affecting the study hence it is important to set a sample size that would help in keeping the results more consistent. Wider topics require a bigger sample size and therefore require more effort while collecting and analyzing the data. (See What is the Purpose of Society?)
7. How do you Calculate Target Population?
The steps to calculate the target population are:
- Calculation of the target population requires understanding the topic of research to understand the group of the population to which the existing survey pertains to, next step is getting detailed knowledge about the distribution of the population and the demographic distribution.
- After obtaining this data number of people in the target population can easily be calculated by multiplying the total population by the percentage of people to which the study is related.
- For example, in research on a city, it is expected that around 20% of students are studying economics so now to get the number of people in this sample size one can easily multiply the total number of students by 20% to get the target population.
8. What is the Difference between Population and Target Population?
The difference between population and target population definition are as follows:
| POPULATION | TARGET POPULATION |
| Population refers to the group of people as a whole. | Target population refers to the segment of the population to which the study is related. |
| The population is greater in number than the target population. | The target population is less in number. |
| Every person in the target population is also part of the population. | Every person in the population is not a part of the target population |
9. What is Difference between Population and Sample?
The difference between population and sample are as follows:
| POPULATION | SAMPLE |
| The term population refers to a collection of all individuals that share common characteristics and collectively make up the world. | The term sample is a specific group from which you will collect data. |
| Population size is bigger. | The sample size is always smaller than the population size. |
| It would include all residents of a country. | It would include all residents who earn more than the poverty level. |
| The population of a country would consist of all residents living above the poverty level. | The Sample would consist of all inhabitants who are millionaires. |
| It would include all of the employees at an office. | It would include all of the office managers. |
| The entire group about whom you would like to draw conclusions is referred to as a population. | A sample is a specific group from which you will collect data. |
10. What’s the Difference between a Population and a Community?
In ecology, there are two classification levels: population and community. Both describe the groupings of people who live in a specific ecosystem at a specific time. The difference between a population and a community are as follows:
| POPULATION | COMMUNITY |
| A group of interbreeding individuals who are separated from other groups. | A community or association of a population of two or more species, with different species inhabiting the same geographic region at the same time. |
| A tiny group of organisms in an ecosystem. | A relatively large group. |
| There is only one specie. | Several species coexist in a geographical area. |
| All of the individuals have comparable biological and behavioral characteristics. | Individuals can be classified into groups based on their anatomy and behavior. |
| Individuals freely interbreed. | There is no interbreeding. |
| Individuals compete with one another within their own species. | Individuals compete with each other across species. |
The target population definition describes the population for whom the survey will be conducted to research and draw conclusions about the targeted people based on various categories and genres. As a result, it helps us to distinguish them from the overall population. Because a specific group is a target, it is crucial to understand their interests and preferences, based on which target population perspective can be understood that could be valuable from an economic and political viewpoint. (Also read How can Individuals Contribute to bringing Change in Society?)
