Exam 5: Data Collection

There are many sources of administrative data.

Generalizability means that we can generalize from the population to the sample.

Random sampling is a method for drawing representative samples.

Secondary data are data that are collected for some other purpose.

The list from which a sample is drawn is called a sampling frame.

A representative sample is one that has characteristics similar to those of the population as a whole.

Performance measurement usually requires that additional administrative data be collected.

Phone surveys are most common because they have lower response rates than mail surveys.

Administrative data have few problems of validity.

Larger samples have larger sampling errors than smaller ones.

Secondary data are often used to describe communities and populations in statistical terms.

Administrative data are sometimes (1) missing or incomplete, (2) inaccurately reported, or (3) subject to definitions that have changed over time.

Sampling error is the percentage by which survey results vary in 95 of 100 samples.

A sample is a selection, such as of citizens, from an entire population.

Nonresponse bias is the extent to which views of nonrespondents differ from those of respondents.

The best way to draw a sample is to ensure that the demographic characteristics of the sample and the population are exactly the same.

Common surveys are those of citizens, clients, businesses, and employees.

Traditionally, administrative data have had three purposes: (1) to ensure that resources are not misused, (2) to determine the status of the organization's activities, and (3) to provide a record of what has been completed and accomplished.

Administrative data are seldom used in program evaluation and forecasting.

Phone surveys can ask many questions.