Estimators Based on Several Stratified Samples with Applications to Multiple Frame Surveys

Abstract

Abstract In this article, a new method for producing estimates from a multiple frame survey is presented. The discussion in this article is restricted to sample designs in which a stratified simple random sample is selected independently from each frame. The estimation technique outlined, however, can be applied to more complex sample designs. It is assumed that units selected in more than one sample can be identified. This estimation technique is based on the fact that a multiple frame sample can be viewed as a special case of selecting two or more samples independently from the same frame. As a result, standard techniques from the literature for estimating from a single frame, such as the Horvitz—Thompson estimator or ratio estimation, can be applied to multiple frame samples. These standard techniques for estimating from a single frame are compared, based on data from a Statistics Canada survey, with the usual estimators suggested in the literature for estimating from a multiple frame sample design. Th...