Survey Weights: A Step-by-Step Guide to Calculation

Survey Weights: A Step-by-Step Guide to Calculation, by Richard Valliant and Jill Dever, is an excellent reference for survey data analysts and researchers. This book details the reasons for weighting and shows how to perform different weight-adjustment methods in Stata.

 

Topics covered include nonresponse, weight adjustment and calibration, linearized and replication-based variance estimation, multiple weights, two-phase sampling, composite estimation, and quality control when computing your own survey weights.

 

The authors assume familiarity with Stata and some applied sampling experience and knowledge of “lite” theory, such as the concepts of with-replacement versus without-replacement sampling and single- versus multistage designs.

List of figures

Preface

Glossary of acronyms

 

1. OVERVIEW OF WEIGHTING

Reasons for weighting

Probability sampling versus nonprobability sampling

Theories of population inference

Techniques used in probability sampling

Weighting versus imputation

Disposition codes

Flowchart of the weighting steps

 

2. INITIAL STEPS IN WEIGHTING PROBABILITY SAMPLES

Base weights

Adjustments for unknown eligibility

 

3. ADJUSTMENTS FOR NONRESPONSE

Weighting class adjustments

Propensity score adjustments

Tree-based algorithms

Classification and regression trees

Random forests

Boosting

Nonresponse in multistage designs

 

4. CALIBRATION AND OTHER USES OF AUXILIARY DATA IN WEIGHTING

Poststratified estimators

Raking estimators

More general calibration estimation

Calibration to sample estimates

Weight variability

 

5. USE OF WEIGHTS IN VARIANCE ESTIMATION

Exact formulas

The with-replacement workaround

Linearization variances

Replication variances

Jackknife

Balanced repeated replication

Bootstrap

Grouping PSUs to form replicates

Effects of multiple weight adjustments

 

6. NONPROBABILITY SAMPLES

Volunteer web surveys

Weighting nonprobability samples

Variance estimation for nonprobability surveys

Bayesian approaches

Some general comments

 

7. WEIGHTING FOR SOME SPECIAL CASES

Normalized weights

Multiple weights

Two-phase sampling

Composite weights

Masked strata and PSU IDs

Use of weights in fitting models

Comparing weighted and unweighted model fits

Testing whether to use weights

 

8. QUALITY OF SURVEY WEIGHTS

Design and planning stage

Base weights

Data editing and file preparation

Models for nonresponse and calibration

Calibration totals

Weighting checks

Analytic checks

Analysis file and documentation

 

References

Author index

Subject index

Author: Richard Valliant and Jill A. Dever
ISBN-13: 978-1-59718-260-7
©Copyright: 2018 Stata Press
Versione e-Book disponibile

Survey Weights: A Step-by-Step Guide to Calculation, by Richard Valliant and Jill Dever, is an excellent reference for survey data analysts and researchers. This book details the reasons for weighting and shows how to perform different weight-adjustment methods in Stata.