What You Should Know Before Buying a Hybrid.

Sampling and Data Collection Plan
Background
This is my paper for the previous week that the essay will build on. For the essay, the research question you will use is highlighted in yellow. The independent variable is hybrid/electric cars and the dependent variable here is gasoline sales.
I am also sending a sample paper from another student for you to look at so you can get an idea of what they are looking for. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks! Jane

Research question: With the invention of the hybrid and electrics cars entering the market over the past decade, will consumers rely less on gasoline and will we find a decrease in the sales drop at gasoline stations?
Fluctuations in the cost of fuel over the years has created a demand for an alternative mode of transportation called a hybrid vehicle. This is an alternative to the traditional gas powered automobile that we have come accustomed to since Karl Benz invented the Benz Patent-Motorwagen in1886. There are two types of hybrid vehicles: regular hybrids have a gas powered engine and a battery that is recharged by the car entirely. The second type is the plug-in hybrid, this vehicle has a bigger battery that is also charged by the car also requires an external charging station. A hybrid vehicle can cost consumers as much as twenty percent more than a gas powered engine. The least expensive models come in at around $20,000 and can top out at more than $100,000 for a Tesla model (“What You Should Know Before Buying A Hybrid”, 2015).
Population and Size
The population selected for this survey is California licensed drivers. The population size for this survey 385. This sample size is for a 95% confidence level chosen from the 24,390,236 licensed California drivers (“Total Number Of Licensed Drivers In The U.s. In 2013, By State”, 2013). This estimate is with a 5% margin of error.
A recent study shows the sales of hybrid vehicles remain at around 3%, and some analysts are suggesting that they could make up 8% of the market by 2020 (“Hybrid Sales Still Climbing: 8 Percent Of U.S. Sales By 2020?”, 2013). The majority of hybrid cars are sold in the state of California. For this reason, this is where we will focus our survey. Our population is licensed drivers in California.
Sampling Element
A survey will be used to conduct our research as to how many people are interested in the purchase of a hybrid vehicle. We also would like to know some of the factors that weigh into their decision on the purchase of the vehicle. With this survey, we hope to determine if the percentage of people purchasing hybrid vehicles is high enough to make an impact on the sale of gasoline in the future.

Method of Sampling
The systematic method of sampling has been chosen for this survey. This method has an equal probability method and most commonly involves a circular progression through the list. The sampling begins by choosing a random element from the list and after that every kth element is chosen, where k is the sampling interval. Choosing this method, we will go down the list of licensed drivers and choose the kth individual and send the survey for them to return.
One of the main things we will need for reliability is returned surveys. We have determined that for our survey to be reliable we must receive at least 385 responses. The two principles of reliability are 1) stability: the measure should not change from use to the next. 2) Units that make up a measuring instrument should remain consistent with each other. For our survey to be valid, we need to be sure we are asking the right questions. The importance of the above factors cannot be emphasized enough. Without them, you will be wasting not only your time but throwing dollars out the door.
The surveys will be sent both electronically (to those licensed drivers with an email address on file with DVM) and my regular US postal service. There will be a small incentive created to motivate individuals to return the survey below.

Question Not at All
Important
Slightly
Important Fairly
Important
Important Very
Important
1. Cost of the Hybrid/Electric vehicle
2. Home access ability to charge vehicle
3. Access to workplace charge station
4. HOV (high-occupancy vehicle/carpool lane) access
5. Federal Tax Credit ($7,500)
6. CVRP (Clean Vehicle Rebate Project). CA rebate for clean vehicles.
Do you or anyone in your family plan on purchasing a hybrid or electric vehicle within the next 12-24 months? Yes or No

In conclusion, I believe that at this time there are not enough hybrid and electric cars on the road to make an impact on the consumption of gasoline sales. However, with the survey, we may get an understanding of where that may lead down the road. In the future, it would be nice if we didn’t rely on petroleum like we do today. I believe that someday that will come true, but it is likely a long way down the road.
Appendix
Sample size = (Z-score)squared(Standard Deviation)(1-Standard Deviation)/(margin of error)squared Sample size = (1.96)(1.96)(.5)(.5)/(.05)(.05)
Sample size = 385

References
Hybrid Sales Still Climbing: 8 Percent Of U.S. Sales By 2020?. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1083304_hybrid-sales-still-climbing-8-percent-of-u-s-sales-by-2020
Total number of licensed drivers in the U.S. in 2013, by state. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.statista.com/statistics/198029/total-number-of-us-licensed-drivers-by-state/
What You Should Know Before Buying a Hybrid. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.edmunds.com/hybrid/before-buy.html