Respondent-Driven Sampling

Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS) is a method used to study hard-to-reach populations, such as marginalized or hidden groups. Researchers start with a few initial participants, called "seeds," who are part of the group. These seeds then recruit their peers, who in turn recruit others, creating chains of participants. This network-based approach helps gather representative data by leveraging existing social connections, allowing researchers to better understand populations that are difficult to access through traditional sampling methods. RDS uses mathematical models to account for recruitment patterns and provide unbiased estimates of the group's characteristics.