Two sampling designs were compared for the planned 1978 national longitudinal survey of high school seniors with respect to statistical efficiency and cost. The 1972 survey used a stratified two-stage sample of high schools and seniors within schools. In order to minimize interviewer travel costs, an alternate sampling design was proposed,…

The average design effects for statistics estimated from the base-year National Longitudinal Study data are presented. Attempts to partition the effects into those due to stratification, clustering, and unequal weighting are discussed. The expected increases in subpopulation sample sizes due to oversampling are calculated and compared with the…

An efficiency study was conducted of the base year design used for the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS). Finding the optimal design involved a search for the numbers of sample schools and students that would maximize the variance at a given cost. Twenty-one variables describing students' plans, attitudes,…

An efficiency study was conducted of the sampling design used for the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS), and the change variables used in the first followup. Nine alternative designs were compared, using a cost model based upon the number of schools and students sampled. Fourteen change variables and eight domains…