Marketing Research and Insight Glossary

Definitions, common uses and explanations of 1,500+ key market research terms and phrases.

What is the Base?

Research Topics:
Data Analysis | Quantitative Research
Content Type:
Glossary
Share Print

Base Definition

The number on which the percentages in a table are calculated.

In marketing research, the base is the total population or universe from which a sample is taken for research purposes. It represents the entire group that is under study and is often used for statistical analysis. Research findings are considered more reliable and valuable if the base is well-defined and comes from a larger population.

Who relies on the base?

Professionals like market researchers and analysts use the concept of base to determine the target population, representative samples and deducted insights and to make business decisions.

Why should I care about the base?

The concept of base is vital to any market research study because the accurate selection of a representative base ensures that findings from research are applicable and meaningful.