Survey Weighting Best Practices

Pro Tip

Weighting decisions should be made before data collection begins, not as an afterthought during analysis.

Implementation Steps

Planning for Weighting

Effective weighting starts during survey design. Consider what auxiliary variables you'll need and ensure you collect the necessary demographic information.

Demographics Target Population Auxiliary Variables

Quality Control

Monitor weight distributions, effective sample sizes, and design effects to ensure your weighting scheme is improving rather than degrading data quality.

Weight Range Effective Sample Size Design Effect

Documentation Standards

Proper documentation of your weighting methodology is essential for transparency and reproducibility in research.

Methodology Target Sources Quality Metrics

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Using too many weighting variables (leads to unstable weights)
Ignoring extreme weight values (can distort results)
Failing to validate weights against external benchmarks
Not documenting weighting decisions and rationale