Sample surveys is the most important branch of statistics. Without sample surveys there is no data, and without data there is no statistics. This book is the culmination of the lecture notes developed by the authors. The approach is theoretical in the sense that it gives mathematical proofs of the results in sample surveys. Intended as a textbook for a one-semester course for undergraduate seniors or first-year graduate students, a prerequisite basic knowledge of algebra, calculus, and statistical theory is required to master the techniques described in this book.

This new handbook contains the most comprehensive account of sample surveys theory and practice to date. It is a second volume on sample surveys, with the goal of updating and extending the sampling volume published as volume 6 of the Handbook of Statistics in 1988. The present handbook is divided into two volumes (29A and 29B), with a total of 41 chapters, covering current developments in almost every aspect of sample surveys, with references to important contributions and available software. It can serve as a self contained guide to researchers and practitioners, with appropriate balance between theory and real life applications. Each of the two volumes is divided into three parts, with each part preceded by an introduction, summarizing the main developments in the areas covered in that part. Volume 29A deals with methods of sample selection and data processing, with the later including editing and imputation, handling of outliers and measurement errors, and methods of disclosure control. The volume contains also a large variety of applications in specialized areas such as household and business surveys, marketing research, opinion polls and censuses. Volume 29B is concerned with inference, distinguishing between design-based and model-based methods and focusing on specific problems such as small area estimation, analysis of longitudinal data, categorical data analysis and inference on distribution functions. The volume contains also chapters dealing with case-control studies, asymptotic properties of estimators and decision theoretic aspects. - Comprehensive account of recent developments in sample survey theory and practice - Discusses a wide variety of diverse applications - Comprehensive bibliography

Handbook of Statistics_29B contains the most comprehensive account of sample surveys theory and practice to date. It is a second volume on sample surveys, with the goal of updating and extending the sampling volume published as volume 6 of the Handbook of Statistics in 1988. The present handbook is divided into two volumes (29A and 29B), with a total of 41 chapters, covering current developments in almost every aspect of sample surveys, with references to important contributions and available software. It can serve as a self contained guide to researchers and practitioners, with appropriate balance between theory and real life applications. Each of the two volumes is divided into three parts, with each part preceded by an introduction, summarizing the main developments in the areas covered in that part. Volume 1 deals with methods of sample selection and data processing, with the later including editing and imputation, handling of outliers and measurement errors, and methods of disclosure control. The volume contains also a large variety of applications in specialized areas such as household and business surveys, marketing research, opinion polls and censuses. Volume 2 is concerned with inference, distinguishing between design-based and model-based methods and focusing on specific problems such as small area estimation, analysis of longitudinal data, categorical data analysis and inference on distribution functions. The volume contains also chapters dealing with case-control studies, asymptotic properties of estimators and decision theoretic aspects. - Comprehensive account of recent developments in sample survey theory and practice - Covers a wide variety of diverse applications - Comprehensive bibliography

A step-by-step guide to the design and implementation of surveys.

This book is about both the mathematics of sample surveys and about sample surveys. The mathematics is both elementary and rigorous. It is suitable for a one year junior-senior level course for mathematics and statistics majors as well as for students in the social sciences who are not handicapped by a fear of proofs in mathematics. It requires no previous knowledge of statistics, and it could actually serve as an introduction to statistics. A sizeable part of the book covers the discrete probability needed for the sampling methods covered. Topics then covered are: simple random sampling, sampling with unequal probabilities, linear relationships, stratified sampling, cluster sampling and two-stage sampling.

Essential Methods for Design Based Sample Surveys presents key method contributions selected from the volume in the Handbook of Statistics: Sample Surveys: Design, Methods and Applications, Vol. 29a (2009). This essential reference provides specific aspects of sample survey design, with references to important contributions and available software. The content is aimed at researchers and practitioners who use statistical methods in design based sample surveys and market research. This book presents the core essential methods of sample selection and data processing. The data processing discussion covers editing and imputation, and methods of disclosure control. This reference contains a large variety of applications in specialized areas such as household and business surveys, marketing research, opinion polls and censuses.

Sample surveys provide data used by researchers in a large range of disciplines to analyze important relationships using well-established and widely used likelihood methods. The methods used to select samples often result in the sample differing in important ways from the target population and standard application of likelihood methods can lead to biased and inefficient estimates. Maximum Likelihood Estimation for Sample Surveys presents an overview of likelihood methods for the analysis of sample survey data that account for the selection methods used, and includes all necessary background material on likelihood inference. It covers a range of data types, including multilevel data, and is illustrated by many worked examples using tractable and widely used models. It also discusses more advanced topics, such as combining data, non-response, and informative sampling. The book presents and develops a likelihood approach for fitting models to sample survey data. It explores and explains how the approach works in tractable though widely used models for which we can make considerable analytic progress. For less tractable models numerical methods are ultimately needed to compute the score and information functions and to compute the maximum likelihood estimates of the model parameters. For these models, the book shows what has to be done conceptually to develop analyses to the point that numerical methods can be applied. Designed for statisticians who are interested in the general theory of statistics, Maximum Likelihood Estimation for Sample Surveys is also aimed at statisticians focused on fitting models to sample survey data, as well as researchers who study relationships among variables and whose sources of data include surveys.

Indirect questioning is a crucial topic in surveys of human populations. When the issue is about a stigmatizing characteristic (for example about illegal drug use), standard survey methodologies are destined to fail because, as expected, people are not willing to reveal incriminating information or information violating their privacy. Indirect questioning techniques have been devised so that the privacy of participants in a sample survey is protected and at the same time good estimates of certain parameters (e.g. the percentage of people in a certain community who use illegal drugs) can be delivered. The topic is modern and still under development. Indirect Questioning in Sample Surveys represents a collection of the most important and recent techniques of indirect questioning, including various versions of randomized response, the item count technique, the nominative technique, the three-card method, non-randomized response models and negative surveys, while also exploring the key aspect of protecting privacy.

This book shows readers how to select & use the most appropriate sampling methods for their survey. It covers myriad sampling techniques, and describes criteria, the logic in estimating standard errors, and how to calculate the response rate.

A nuts-and-bolts guide to conducting your own professional-qualitysurveys without paying professional fees. How can you gauge publicsupport for a cause or test the market for a product or service?What are the best methods for validating opinions for use in apaper or dissertation? A well-documented survey is the answer. Butwhat if you don't have thousands of dollars to commission one? Noproblem. How to Conduct Your Own Survey gives you everything youneed to do it yourself! Without any prior training, you can learnexpert techniques for conducting accurate, low-cost surveys. Instep-by-step, down-to-earth language, Priscilla Salant and Don A.Dillman give you the tools you need to: * Determine which type of survey is best for you * Estimate the cost of your survey * Conduct mail, telephone, and face-to-face surveys * Draw accurate samples * Write effective questionnaires * Compile and report results * Avoid common survey errors * Find reliable outside assistance * And much more