représentative

Repræsentative is a Danish term used to describe something that represents a larger group or is typical of it. The standard Danish adjective is repræsentativ; when referring to a person who acts on behalf of others, the common noun is repræsentant. In some contexts, especially in informal or cross-linguistic writing, the anglicized form repræsentative may appear.

In statistics and research, repræsentativ (repræsentativt) describes a sample, panel, or data set that reflects the characteristics of the population from which it is drawn. A representative sample aims to match distributions of key variables such as age, gender, region, or income. Methods to achieve representativeness include random sampling, stratification, and weighting; limitations include nonresponse bias, measurement error, and over- or under-representation of subgroups.

In politics and governance, a representative refers to a person elected to act for others in a legislature or body. The idea is representation of constituents’ interests rather than direct democracy. The term also appears in phrases such as repræsentativt demokrati in contrast to direkte demokrati. The quality of representation depends on accessibility, accountability, and responsiveness of the elected to the people they represent.

Originating from Latin representativus via French and English, in Danish the native forms repræsentativ (adjective) and repræsentant (noun) are preferred, while repræsentative appears mainly as a borrowed form in some contexts.