HomeOur ResearchCapabilitiesStudy Design and Survey MethodologySample Design

Sample Design

NORC designs and maintains a multistage sample of geographical areas and a corresponding frame of housing unit addresses for national area probability studies, particularly for the General Social Survey (GSS). With each re-design of this frame, we incorporate innovations such as the Ernst procedure for maximizing the overlap of PSUs and new methods for compiling high quality address lists. In fact, NORC is one of the pioneers in the use of the USPS address list and geographical information systems for sample design and selection. Sampling staff members also use census datasets and special source materials such as directories, lists, and commercial databases to select many types of samples, including special subpopulations and business establishments. For telephone surveys, NORC can generate national, regional, or local samples. NORC staff have expertise in adaptive sampling techniques and audit sampling, as well.

NORC has extensive experience designing and conducting epidemiological studies, site-based studies, list studies, area probability studies, panel studies, longitudinal studies, and cross-sectional studies.

Representative Projects

Annual Survey of Employer Health Benefits, 2011. NORC takes a lead role in the survey and sampling design for this grant, along with data collection, database construction, analysis, and writing of the annual report and journal article. More

Joyce Foundation Survey on Teacher Evaluation and Education Reform. NORC at the University of Chicago is developing a sample design and survey questionnaire, as well as conducting a telephone survey of a representative sample of Chicago parents with school-age children attending public, charter, or private schools about their views related to current efforts to reform public school teacher evaluation systems. A comparison group of households with no school-age children will also be surveyed. The Joyce Foundation is funding this effort. More

MCC Impact Evaluation Services in the Republic of Georgia. The Goal of MCC’s Compact with the Government of Georgia is to reduce rural poverty through better economic performance by improving the two main barriers to economic growth: a lack of reliable infrastructure and the slow development of businesses, particularly agribusiness. More

National Children's Study (NCS). The National Children’s Study will examine the effects of the environment, as broadly defined to include factors such as air, water, diet, sound, family dynamics, community and cultural influences, and genetics on the growth, development, and health of children across the United States, following them from before birth until age 21 years. More

Trends in U.S. Public’s Awareness of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health (1999-2010). NORC, under contract to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS’) Office of Minority Health (OMH), conducted a study of Trends in U.S. Public Awareness of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health (1999-2010). The study provides a comprehensive analysis of awareness among the U.S. public of health disparities that place a disproportionate burden of preventable disease and premature death on racial and ethnic minorities as compared to the rest of the U.S. population. More

See all Sample Design projects