DMA 805S: Survey and Census Methodology 3 CREDITS

Engagement in surveys and censuses remain the traditional modes of collecting data for further investigation. Skills and contextual experiences in using these modes of data collection will be discussed in this course.

Course Objectives:

Students should be able to:

• Distinguish between the different modes of data collection, their relative merits and demerits and the needed skills and mind set for each of them
• Explain the rudiments of answering research hypotheses
• Catalogue data quality procedures during the conduct of survey and censuses

Course Content

The course will cover the fundamentals of the survey lifecycle. Topics covered include: questionnaire design, sampling design, data collection methods, data analysis, and quality checks from the total survey error perspectives which are inclusive of measurement, non-response, and coverage errors. This will include challenges faced in translation and adaptation of questionnaires, implementing proper sampling techniques, quality assurance in multi-national studies, and cultural variations in response styles. Various strategies to deal with typically encountered challenges will be addressed.

Main Text

• Wolf, C., Joye, D., Smith, T. W & Fu, Yang-chih. (2016). The SAGE Handbook of Survey Methodology. Sage

Suggested Reading List

• Bass, F. (2013). Guide to the Census. Bloomberg Press
• Swanson, D. A. & Tayman J. (2012). Subnational Population Estimates. Springer