View Research by Author - Natalie Abi-Habib

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This report is a collection of occasional papers on technical issues in the design, implementation, and operation of the 2002 round of the NSAF. It is a companion report to the 1999 methodology series Report No. 7 NSAF Collection of Papers and the 1997 methodology series Report No. 16 NSAF Technical Papers. All the papers in this collection were presented at either the annual May American Association for Public Opinion Research conference or the annual August Joint Statistical Meetings.

This report provides documentation for the 1997-2002 NSAF Public Use Files, each set of which includes data on approximately 42,000 households, yielding information on over 100,000 people. This report gives an overview of the survey, describes the sample design and methodology used, and discusses the limitations on use of the survey data. After providing an overview of the NSAF data, it also describes how to use the data files, and offers instructions and examples on how to use the NSAF survey weights.

This report in the Round Three Methodology Series provides readers with an introduction to the National Survey of America's Families, its sample design, data collection techniques, and estimation methods. An overview is also provided describing the survey's dual-frame design, the format of interviews, and the types of questions asked. In addition, the methods used to minimize errors and compensate for those that are unavoidable in data collection are described. Finally, the report presents information on the survey's resulting reliability--both in terms of sampling and nonsampling errors.

This report in the Round Three Methodology Series focuses on the 2002 NSAF questionnaire. The introductory chapter describes the household screener and extended interview. In addition, the chapter covers respondent selection, types of NSAF interviews, and the NSAF family definition so that the reader may gain a better understanding of the NSAF questionnaire. The second chapter describes differences in the survey instruments between the 1999 and 2002 NSAF surveys. The remainder of the report provides the full text of the 2002 questionnaire.

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