Final answer:
The target population is the specific group of people who are the focus of a study or survey in social studies. Researchers choose to survey a smaller sample from the target population to represent the larger population.
Step-by-step explanation:
In social studies, the target population refers to the specific group of people who are the focus of a study or survey. For example, the target population could be college athletes, international students, or teenagers living with type 1 diabetes. Researchers typically choose to survey a smaller sample from the target population, which is a manageable number of subjects who represent the larger population. The success of a study depends on how well the sample represents the target population. In a random sample, every person in the target population has an equal chance of being chosen for the study.