Simultaneous Raking of Survey Weights at Multiple Levels

Abstract

"This paper discusses the problem of creating general purpose calibrated survey weights when the control totals data exist at different levels of aggregation, such as households and individuals. We present and compare three different methods. The first does the weighting in two stages, using only the household data, and then only the individual data. The second redefines targets at the individual level, if possible, and uses these targets to calibrate only the individual level weights. The third uses multipliers of household size to produce household level weights that simultaneously calibrate to the individual level totals. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches, including control total data accessibility and available software from the perspective a survey statistician working outside of a national statistical organization. We conclude by outlining directions for further research." (author's abstract)