Household Surveys with Multiplicity

Abstract Abstract In the household survey with multiplicity, sample households report information about their own residents as well as about other persons who live elsewhere, such as relatives or neighbors, as specified by a multiplicity rule adopted in the survey. Although sampling errors for the multiplicity survey are not necessarily smaller than those for the conventional survey in which sample households report for their own residents only, in most instances it should be feasible to assure a substantial reduction in sampling error by selecting appropriate multiplicity rules. Using alternative statistical models, it is demonstrated that under specified conditions, sampling errors for the multiplicity survey are necessarily smaller than those for the conventional survey, and the results give insight regarding the factors contributing to the efficiency of the multiplicity survey.