2 Intuitively, systematic sampling seems likely to be more precise than simple random sampling. In effect, it stratifies the population into n strata, which consist of the first k units, the second k units, and so on. We might therefore expect the systematic sample to be about as precise as the corresponding stratified random sample with one unit, per stratum. The difference is that with the systematic sample the units occur at the same relative position in thee stratum, whereas with the stratified random sample the position in the stratum is determined separately by randomization within each stratum (see Fig. 8.1 ). The systematic sample is spread more evenly over the population, and this fact has sometimes made systematic sampling considerably more precise than stratified random sampling