An Original Solution for Completing Research through Snowball Sampling—Handicapping Method

Snowball sampling, as a network research, has number of advantages in registering “hidden populations”, such as: people with rare diseases and unrecognized by the community, illegal immigrants, drug users, deviant sexual behavior, undeclared workers, alcoholics, gambling or computer addicts, unemployed jobseekers, domestic school violence, etc. The procedure is well known widely applied, are its drawbacks, most important which ambiguity regarding size sample under investigation, interviewees cannot be predetermined, but it up to researcher stop survey when he/she considers accumulation information satisfactory imposed limit research budget been reached. major disadvantage this method absence objective, quantitative, scientifically based criteria, on decision precisely aspect proposed resolved present paper. Our proposal, handicapping method, adapts develops Wald test likelihood ratio for case investigating populations terms binary characteristics, typical situation sociological research. complements snowball providing completion conditions assumed statistical risks. results obtained original material can make contribution improvement methods special field—sociological field survey/research closed groups non-visible populations.