Survey Sampling

The Center specializes in designing rigorous sampling plans which permit inferences about target populations. Center staff design area samples for studies involving in-person interviews and have constructed samples of telephone numbers for local, state, and national telephone interview studies, and samples from lists.

SRC staff consult with users on sampling problems and carry out a broad range of specific tasks, including:

• choosing sample sizes to meet study objectives;
• drawing samples from files, lists, directories, and organizational records or documents;
• designing multi-stage probability samples of households or of organizational members;
• constructing samples of random-digit telephone numbers for specified areas;
• preparing weighted population estimates from survey results; and measuring the sampling variability of survey estimates obtained from simple or complex sample designs.

For help on sample design, the person to contact is Thomas L. Piazza, Senior Survey Statistician, piazza@csm.berkeley.edu or Yuteh Cheng, Manager of Technical Services, yuteh@hobbes.berkeley.edu.