A great caution must be taken when considering variance
estimation in systematic sampling. A danger in systematic
sampling is that the characteristics being studied may have a
certain pattern or periodicity in the list .On Census record
sheets, for example, the first names on the sheets tend to be
above average in income or rental value, for instance corner
houses tends to have a higher rental value than houses in the
middle of the block.
Used widely in surveys of finite population, this method
picks up any obvious or hidden stratification in the
population when used properly. It can be regarded as a
random selection of one cluster; however, it is not always
possible to obtain an unbiased or even consistent estimator of
the design variance. Hence, biased estimators of variance
must be sought if we are to estimate the precision of our
investigation or survey estimators from the sample itself,
(Kirk, 1984).