Additional information on all design options in SUDAAN can be found in the SUDAAN 11 Language Manual. A summary of the SUDAAN design options is provided below.
There are eight design options in SUDAAN. Your design choice determines how standard error estimates are obtained from SUDAAN.
In SUDAAN, variance estimation is based on either the Taylor Series Linearization Method (equivalent to GEE in regression procedures) or Replication Methods (Jackknife and BRR). Six of the eight design options supported by SUDAAN compute variance estimates based on Taylor linearization; the other two compute variance estimates based on replication methods. Taylor linearization designs can be further distinguished by whether they assume with-replacement or without-replacement sampling in the first stage of sample selection.
These eight design types allow you to specify a wide variety of sample designs often found in sample surveys and other correlated data situations. Choosing from among these eight design options is the first step in specifying your sample design. The design options available in SUDAAN are the following:
Taylor Series Methods
SUDAAN's DESIGN=WR
The WR design is the default design in SUDAAN; if you omit the DESIGN= option from your PROC statement, SUDAAN assumes a WR design. For a WR design, SUDAAN estimates the variances using the between-PSU within-stratum variance component. This design is valid when the PSUs are independent (which is implied by with-replacement sampling) and the PSU totals of linearized values can be estimated without bias. In the absence of complete design information, the WR design is often chosen to approximate variances for more complicated designs.
The WR design is used for most nonsurvey applications involving clustered data. It is the most commonly used design option for implementing GEE model-fitting techniques in the regression setting.
SUDAAN's DESIGN=STRWR
SUDAAN's DESIGN=SRS
SUDAAN's DESIGN=WOR
SUDAAN's DESIGN=UNEQWOR
SUDAAN's DESIGN=STRWOR
Choosing the Appropriate Taylor Linearization Method
The matrix below can be used to help to choose from among the six SUDAAN design options using Taylor Linearization.
Without_replacement options (WOR, STRWOR, UNEQWOR) can incorporate with-replacement sampling in some strata, without-replacement sampling in others, or exclusive with-replacement sampling after first stage.
DESIGN=WR is the default variance computation. DESIGN=WR is appropriate for complex sample surveys that are clustered (or multi-stage) and do not require FPCs, and it should be used for GEE applications.
Replication Methods
SUDAAN's DESIGN= JACKKNIFE
DESIGN=JACKKNIFE is often used in non-survey applications involving clustered data. The most common jackknife method for sample surveys is to delete one PSU (or cluster for the correlated data). The weights for the remaining PSUs in the same stratum are adjusted to account for the deleted PSU. We refer to this as the Delete-1 jackknife method, and it is the default jackknife design in SUDAAN.
If there are many PSUs, it is possible to construct a large number of jackknife replicates in this manner. SUDAAN 8.0 makes this construction possible through the addition of two new sample design statements, JACKWGTS and JACKMULT. We refer to this option as the Replicate Weight jackknife method.
SUDAAN's DESIGN=BRR