Reporting Bias and Sampling Errors in a Survey of a Rare Population Using Multiplicity Counting Rules

This article examines a methodology to improve the efficiency of surveys to locate and estimate characteristics of rare populations. Two multiplicity counting rules are compared with a conventional rule in terms of reporting errors, sample variances, and survey yields. The analysis is based on data from two survey field experiments with diagnosed cancer patients and a subsample of their siblings or children who reside outside their households. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the circumstances in which a multiplicity counting rule is the preferred methodology and those in which other approaches should be pursued.