New Technique for Modifying the Cutoff Sample and Its Application

• Activity Number: 210
• Type: Invited
• Date/Time: Monday, August 1, 2011 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Government Statistics
• Author(s): Yang Cheng*+
• Companies: U.S. Census Bureau
• Keywords: Cutoff sampling ; modified cutoff sampling ; regression estimators ; decision-based estimation ; governments statistics

Abstract

The cutoff sampling technique is used in establishment surveys in the U.S. Census Bureau. Recently, the Governments Division in the U.S. Census Bureau proposed a new method of cutoff sampling, which modified the traditional cutoff sampling techniques by constructing the cutoff points based on the size of units in the strata and then reducing the sample size in the strata with small-sized units. We also introduced a decision-based estimation method as a stratum-wise regression for strata defined first by cutoff sampling methods, and then through stratum-collapsing rules determined from the results of a hypothesis test for equality of regression slopes. Finally, we applied the modified cutoff sampling technique and decision-based estimation for two major surveys of governments: the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll and the Annual Finance Survey.