U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Office of Survey Methods Research

Overview

Survey Methods Research

The Office of Survey Methods Research (OSMR) evaluates the effectiveness of the survey methods currently used by BLS programs, investigates alternative methods to determine their appropriateness for BLS programs, and develops new methods for improving the efficiency and quality of BLS programs.

The program is organized into two parts: the Behavioral Science Research Center and the Mathematical Statistics Research Center.

Behavioral Science Research Center

Areas of Study:

Measurement and reduction of non-sampling error

Study Types:

Questionnaire design studies
Usability tests of computer systems
Human-computer interaction
Knowledge management
Respondent-interviewer interactions
Development of response-level data quality measures
Information seeking and retrieval
Metadata methods and practice

Mathematical Statistics Research Center

Areas of Study:

Measurement and reduction of sampling and non-sampling error

Study Types:

Developing more efficient sample designs
Time series for seasonal adjustment
Missing data techniques
Evaluations of alternative estimators
Model-based estimation

Last Modified Date: July 19, 2008