How many students should participate in a survey to achieve a target margin of error?

The number of students participating in a survey to achieve a target margin of error depends on the sample size required to obtain the desired accuracy. The larger the sample size, the smaller the margin of error. As a rule of thumb, for surveys with a 95% confidence level, the number of students should be at least 400 for a margin of error of about 5%.

@import url(‘https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Droid+Serif|Raleway’);

h1 {
text-align: center;
font-size: 50px;
margin-bottom: 0px;
font-family: ‘Raleway’, serif;
}

p {
color: black;
margin-bottom: 15px;
margin-top: 15px;
font-family: ‘Raleway’, sans-serif;
}

#words {
padding-left: 30px;
color: black;
font-family: Raleway;
max-width: 550px;
margin: 25px auto;
line-height: 1.75;
}

#words_summary {
padding-left: 70px;
color: black;
font-family: Raleway;
max-width: 550px;
margin: 25px auto;
line-height: 1.75;
}

#words_text {
color: black;
font-family: Raleway;
max-width: 550px;
margin: 25px auto;
line-height: 1.75;
}

#words_text_area {
display:inline-block;
color: black;
font-family: Raleway;
max-width: 550px;
margin: 25px auto;
line-height: 1.75;
padding-left: 100px;
}

#calcTitle {
text-align: center;
font-size: 20px;
margin-bottom: 0px;
font-family: ‘Raleway’, serif;
}

#hr_top {
width: 30%;
margin-bottom: 0px;
border: none;
height: 2px;
color: black;
background-color: black;
}

#hr_bottom {
width: 30%;
margin-top: 15px;
border: none;
height: 2px;
color: black;
background-color: black;
}

#words label, input {
display: inline-block;
vertical-align: baseline;
width: 350px;
}

#button {
border: 1px solid;
border-radius: 10px;
margin-top: 20px;

cursor: pointer;
outline: none;
background-color: white;
color: black;
font-family: ‘Work Sans’, sans-serif;
border: 1px solid grey;
/* Green */
}

#button:hover {
background-color: #f6f6f6;
border: 1px solid black;
}

#words_table {
color: black;
font-family: Raleway;
max-width: 350px;
margin: 25px auto;
line-height: 1.75;
}

#summary_table {
color: black;
font-family: Raleway;
max-width: 550px;
margin: 25px auto;
line-height: 1.75;
padding-left: 20px;
}

.label_radio {
text-align: center;
}

td, tr, th {
border: 1px solid black;
}
table {
border-collapse: collapse;
}
td, th {
min-width: 50px;
height: 21px;
}
.label_radio {
text-align: center;
}

#text_area_input {
padding-left: 35%;
float: left;
}

svg:not(:root) {
overflow: visible;
}

In statistics, Slovin’s Formula is used to calculate the minimum sample sized needed to estimate a statistic based on an acceptable margin of error.

Slovin’s formula is calculated as:

n = N / (1 + Ne2)

where:

  • n = sample size
  • N = population size
  • e = acceptable margin of error

To use Slovin’s formula, simply enter the population size and acceptable margin of error below and then click the “Calculate” button:

Population Size (N):

Acceptable Margin of Error (e):

Sample size (n): 200.000

function calc() {

//get input data
var N= +document.getElementById(‘N’).value;
var e = +document.getElementById(‘e’).value;

var n = N/(1 -(-1*N*e*e))

//output results
document.getElementById(‘n’).innerHTML = n.toFixed(3);

} //end calc function

x