Strategies for Surveys of American Indians

Although past researchers have sometimes labeled American Indians “hard-to-reach,” a review of the literature identifies several available strategies for improving sampling and response rates for surveys of this population. After discussing various approaches to defining who is American Indian, this article summarizes the literature on challenges in conducting research in American Indian populations. The literature strongly points to the need for full and active partnerships between American Indian communities and outside researchers in order to ensure that the communities are respected, protected, and benefit from the research. Full and active partnerships also are needed to improve the quality of data collected in American Indian communities. Successful strategies used in U.S. Census Bureau enumeration efforts exemplify the recommendations for participatory research with American Indian communities.