Chapter 2: Introduction to Survey Costs

 

Rationale for a Joint Concern About Costs

-          Survey costs and errors are reflections of each other

Criticisms of Cost-Error Modeling to Guide Survey Decisions

 

Non Linear Cost Models Often Apply to Practical Survey Administration

 

Survey Cost Models are Inherently Discontinuous

 

-          Loss functions

 

Cost Models Often Have Stochastic Features

-          Sources of variability in costs of data collection creates surprises in the administration of surveys.

-          Unit costs are random variables

-          Reduction of cost variation will improve researcher's control over achieved precision of survey, given fixed resources.

 

Is Time Money