Survey Frames
In survey methodology, a frame is the set of records from which a sample is drawn.
Definition
AAPOR recognizes four types of frames:
- List frames
- Address-based frames
- Random-digit dial telephone frames
- Probability-based panel frames
This does purposefully exclude the statistics of non-probability web panels.
List Frames
A list frame is simply a list of specifically-named individuals.
Generally, if a list frame is available, it is assumed to be the population. Frame over- and under-coverage assumptions should be examined.
ABS Frames
Address-based samples (ABS), or address-based frames, are lists of specific addresses without the specific individuals who are believed to live there.
RDD Frames
Random-digit dial (RDD) frames are randomly-selected telephone numbers. This is inherently a sample.
Dual-frame RDD (DFRDD) refers to drawing two random samples for landline teleophone numbers and cellphone numbers, respectively.