Systematic Sampling

Abstract

In this chapter we pay attention to systematic sampling with equal probabilities (SY) and systematic sampling with unequal probabilities. The latter is also referred to as the so-called dollar unit (DU) sampling method. First we treat the systematic (SY) sampling design where all population elements have equal inclusion probabilities. Although the sampling autocorrelation coefficient or intracluster correlation coefficient ρ _y is in this context a well-known measure for the homogeneity of the clusters, we will argue that the squared multiple correlation coefficient R² from regression theory can also be interpreted as a measure for the homogeneity of the clusters, where R² stems from a regression of y on cluster dummy variables.