Referenspopulation

Referenspopulation, or reference population, is a concept used in statistics, epidemiology and survey research to denote the population to which study results are intended to generalize. It is defined by a set of characteristics—such as geographic area, time period, age range, health status or other attributes—that determine who would be considered part of the population of interest. The referenspopulation is not necessarily the same as the population actually observed in the data, nor the sampling frame used to select participants.

The referenspopulation provides the explicit target for inference. For instance, a national health survey might specify a referenspopulation of all residents aged 18–79 in a country on a specific date. The sampling frame, in turn, is a concrete list or mechanism from which the sample is drawn, and it may differ from the referenspopulation due to practical constraints or access issues.

In analysis and design, researchers strive to ensure that the study sample represents the referenspopulation. Methods such as stratified sampling, weighting, standardization, and adjustments for nonresponse help align the sample with the referenspopulation. If there is substantial mismatch, the external validity or generalizability of the findings may be limited, and conclusions should be applied with caution to the referenspopulation or to populations that closely resemble it.

See also: target population, sampling frame, external validity, standardization.