Surveys for the Public Good: Examples from Statistics Without Borders

Abstract

Despite increasing access to non-designed data sources, surveys continue to be an important tool for studying difficult-to-reach populations. In this article, I share highlights from two Statistics without Borders projects where surveys were used to study remote or vulnerable populations. Each project addressed a different part of the survey lifecycle: the design phase versus the analysis phase. These examples illustrate concepts from survey statistics and show how we, as statisticians, can support the mission of organizations who are using surveys to make a positive difference.