Abstract:

Online access panels have enabled cheap survey research to proliferate in the past decade. However, the results obtained from these convenience panels can be biased and unrepresentative due to the sampling methods employed. Sample matching against a smaller, but statistically representative panel has been suggested as a means to reduce sample bias and to enable a statistically representative sample to be selected. This presentation examines the extent to which bias can be reduced using this approach, and the relevant factors that must be taken into account.