STAT 574: Survey Sampling I

 

Dr. Richard Bolstein                 When:  Fall, 2001

Office:157 Sci-Tech II        Time:    Tuesday 7:20-10:00 pm, first class Aug. 28.

rbolstei@gmu.edu                     Where: Robinson Hall, A249

Phone:  (703) 993-1689           Fax:      (703) 993-1700                

 

Office Hours:  M, T  4:30-6 pm & by appointment. Call or email anytime.

 

Prerequisite:   STAT 344 or equivalent.

Corequisite:    STAT 501 or experience using SAS statistical software

 

Note to Undergraduates: Students registered for STAT 474: Introduction to Survey Sampling,  meet together with graduate students in STAT 574 but are graded independently. Although most assignments are the same in both sections, there are some differences. A special program called the B.S./ Accelerated  M.S. in Statistical Science allows an undergraduate student to apply STAT 574 towards both degrees, thereby reducing the number of graduate courses needed for the M.S. in Statistical Science. There are certain other conditions that must be met so please check the University Catalog. If this program is of interest and you are currently registered under STAT 474, you must drop/add to register for STAT 574.

 

Required Texts:

1.   Lohr, Sharon L. (1999): Sampling: Design and Analysis, Duxbury Press.

2.   SAS Institute (1999): Selected SAS Documentation for Survey Sampling, prepared for A. Richard Bolstein.

3.   Class notes and solution handouts will be distributed from the instructor's notes.

 

Optional Books and Software for using the SAS statistical package:

4.   SAS Institute (1999): Selected SAS Documentation: Basic Language and Procedures, prepared for A. Richard Bolstein.

5.   Delwiche and Slaughter (1998): The Little SAS Book: a primer, SAS Institute. (I highly recommend this unless you are a pro at SAS.)

6.   Gilmore (1999): Painless Windows: A Handbook for SAS Users, SAS Institute. (I recommend this if you are a relative beginner with Windows.)

7.   PC-SAS, Version 8.0 is available from Patriot Computers in Johnson Center. A one-year licence costs $96.00. Do not purchase earlier versions as they do not contain the new SURVEY procedures needed in this course.

 

Course Description: This course is the first of a two-semester sequence on the design and analysis of sample surveys. (The second course, STAT 674: Survey Sampling II, is offered in the Spring semester of even numbered years.) In the first course, students will gain an overview of all aspects of designing and implementing a survey, learn how to analyze survey data and practice proper presentation of survey results. Emphasis is on the design of probability samples and estimation of population parameters such as means, proportions and totals. All students are required to participate in a class project involving an actual survey. If anticipated funding is received, we will conduct a statewide pre-election telephone survey for the Virginia gubernatorial election in conjunction with some other classes.

 

Audience: Sample surveys occur everywhere in the social sciences (especially economics, public affairs and sociology), business (marketing and decision making), computer science, environmental science, operations research and engineering. The course is recommended to all students of mathematics, statistics or operations research, and to quantitatively oriented students in the social sciences and business. A two-semester sequence in survey sampling should definitely improve job prospects for those seeking a career in survey research or statistics since the demand for sampling statisticians in the Washington, D.C. area exceeds that of any other branch of statistics.

 

Grades will be based on problem sets and the class project (65%) and an in-class, open-book Final (35%). Students must work alone on the problem sets.

 

Prerequisite: A solid course in probability or statistics at the third-year undergraduate level that covers the following material: discrete random variables including the binomial distribution and the concepts of expectation, variance and covariance; the normal distribution and its application to the basics of statistical estimation including construction of confidence intervals and tests of hypotheses for means and proportions; simple linear regression.

 

Computer Skills: Students will analyze real data sets using the computer and should have experience with some statistical package or spreadsheet. The instructor and textbook will supply some Excel, SAS, and Splus programs, and you may also use your own software. The MS Windows version 8.0 of SAS is available in the computing labs in ST1, Room 124, and ST2, Room 148. Splus is available in the CSI lab on the second floor of ST1. A one year license for PC-SAS to use on your peronal computer can be purchased for $96 at Patriot Computers in the Johnson Center.

Tentative Course Schedule

Day           Text*              Topic

8/28           Ch.1                 Design and Implementation of Sample Surveys.

9/4             2.1-2.2             Fundamentals of Probability Sampling and Estimation.

                  App. B

9/11           2.3-2.7,2.9       Simple Random Sampling: The simple expansion estimator.

9/ 18          3                      Simple Random Sampling: Ratio Estimator.

9/25           3                      Simple Random Sampling: Regression Estimator. Domain Estimation.

10/2           4                      Stratified Sampling.

10/9                                   No Class (Columbus Day break).

10/16         5.1-5.2             One-Stage Cluster Sampling with Equal Probabilities.

10/23         5.6                   Systematic Sampling. Bernoulli Sampling.

10/30                                 Pre-election Poll Results. Review and catch up.

11/6           5.3-5.5             Two-Stage Cluster Sampling with Equal Probabilities.

11/13         6.1-6.3             Sampling with unequal probabilities with replacement.

11/20         6.4-6.5             Sampling with unequal probabilities without replacement.

11/27         Notes               Estimation of Proportions in Small Samples. Rare event estimation.

12/4                                   Review and preview of Survey Sampling II.

12/11                                 Final Exam.  7:30-10:15 P.M.

 

* Additional reading material from instructor's notes will supplement text material.

Additional Reference Books.

Biemer, P.P., et al (eds.) (1991) Measurement Errors in Surveys, Wiley.

Cochran, W.G. (1977), Sampling Techniques, 3rd ed., Wiley.

Cox, B.G., et al (eds.) (1995), Business Survey Methods, Wiley.

Groves, R.M. (1988), Telephone Survey Methodology, Wiley.

Groves, R.M. (1989), Survey Errors and Survey Costs, Wiley.

Hansen, Hurwitz, and Madow (1953), Sample Survey Methods and Theory, Wiley.

Jessen, R.J. (1978), Statistical Survey Techniques, Wiley.

Kish, L. (1965), Survey Sampling, Wiley.

Levy and Lemenshow (1991), Sampling of Populations, Wiley.

Raj, D. (1968), Survey Sampling, McGraw Hill.

Sarndal, Swenson, and Wretman (1992), Model Assisted Survey Sampling, Springer-Verlag.

Schaefer, Mendenhall, & Ott (1990), Elementary Survey Sampling, Duxbury.

Thompson, M.E. (1997), Theory of Sample Surveys, Chapman & Hall.

Thompson, S.K. (1992), Sampling, Wiley.

Tryfos, P. (1996), Sampling Methods for Applied Research, Wiley.

Williams, B. (1978), A Sampler on Sampling, Wiley.

Yates, F. (1960), Sampling Methods for Censuses and Surveys, Griffen Publishing Co.

 

Cochran's book is considered the bible of the field and is still widely used even though it is somewhat dated. The Raj book is outstanding and is a major reference to some survey researchers, but it is out of print. The book by Hansen, Hurwitz and Madow was the first devoted entirely to sampling and is a classic. The book by Sarndal, Swenson and Wretman is modern and comprehensive and a must for statisticians who work in sampling. (The text by Lohr chosen for this course uses the same notation as Sarndal.) Kish (1965) and Yates (1960) are also classics and contain material not in the other books. Levy & Lemenshow (1991), Tryfos (1996), and Schaefer (1990) are written in a cook-book style for undergraduates, but are useful sources. Williams (1978) is written so that students with little mathematical background can get a feel for the subject.  Nevertheless, it is good introductory reading for all and is highly recommended.

 

Groves (1988 and 1989) deal with the practical side of selecting samples in the real world. They discuss current research in telephone survey methodology and nonsampling errors in surveys. The book edited by Biemer and others contain the proceedings of a conference on a type of nonsampling error known as measurement error. The book edited by Cox and others contain proceedings from a conference on surveys of businesses and is highly recommended.