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Suggested Citation:"SESTAT 2000 Decade Design Options." National Research Council. 2003. Improving the Design of the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10571.
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3
SESTAT 2000 Decade Design Options

Determining the sample design for the 2003 SESTAT survey marks a critical decision point. The 2000 decennial census offers an opportunity to mitigate the limitations of the current sample by either refreshing or completely replacing the current sample. Another opportunity to do so may not occur for 10 years or longer.

The SRS developed three design options for the 2000 decade (Westat, 2002a); see summary in Table 3-1. The table contains a separate row for each population component of the target SESTAT population. The first eight rows show the population components covered in the current SESTAT sample by one of the past surveys. The next two rows address components of the target population that are currently not covered in SESTAT. The last row addresses scientists and engineers without a college degree.

The first column lists subgroups of the general population. The next two columns cover the current SESTAT that falls within these subgroups. The last four columns cover the three design options being considered. The two columns involving SESTAT indicate the frame from which the SESTAT survey was selected. The remaining columns show how each population component would be sampled and surveyed under each of the options.4

4  

Westat (2002b, 2002c) identifies a fourth option that focuses on supplementing the old panels. NSF has presented no advantages associated with the fourth option, and the committee has therefore addressed only three options.

Suggested Citation:"SESTAT 2000 Decade Design Options." National Research Council. 2003. Improving the Design of the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10571.
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TABLE 3-1 Current SESTAT Design and Decade 2000 SESTAT Design Options

 

Current SESTAT Design

Population Group

Original Survey

Current Frame

Pre-1990 bachelor’s and master’s

NSCG

1993

1990

postcensal followup

1991-1992 bachelor’s and master’s

NSRCG

1993

IPEDS- based

1993-1994 bachelor’s and master’s

NSRCG

1995

IPEDS- based

1995-1996 bachelor’s and master’s

NSRCG

1997

IPEDS- based

1997-1998 bachelor’s and master’s

NSRCG

1999

IPEDS- based

1999-2000 bachelor’s and master’s

NSRCG

2001

IPEDS- based

2001-2002 bachelor’s and master’s

NSRCG

2003

To be determined

Doctorates

SDR

SED

Post 1990 census foreign degrees

None

None

Post 1990 census non-S&E degrees working in S&E

None

None

Degrees lower than bachelors

None

None

SOURCE: Westat (2002a: Exhibit 3-1).

NOTE: Acronyms: NSCG, National Survey of College Graduates; NSRCG, National Survey of Recent College Graduates; IPEDS, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System; SDR, Survey of Doctorate Recipients; SED, Survey of Earned Doctorates; CPS, Current Population Survey

Suggested Citation:"SESTAT 2000 Decade Design Options." National Research Council. 2003. Improving the Design of the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10571.
×

Decade 2000 SESTAT Design Options

2000 Census Frame Option

1990 Census Frame Option

Hybrid Option Combining Elements of the 2000 Census Frame Option and the 1990 Census Frame Option

 

2000 postcensal

1990 postcensal subsample NSRCG panel subsample (1991-1992 graduates) NSRCG panel subsample (1993-1994 graduates) NSRCG panel subsample (1995-1996 graduates) NSRCG panel subsample (1997-1998 graduates) NSRCG panel subsample (1999-2000 graduates) Regular NSRCG

1990 postcensal subsample NSRCG panel subsample (1991-1992 graduates) NSRCG panel subsample (1993-1994 graduates) NSRCG panel subsample (1995-1996 graduates) NSRCG panel subsample (1997-1998 graduates) NSRCG panel subsample (1999-2000 graduates) Regular NSRCG

 

2000 postcensal half sample

2000 postcensal and April-June 2000 panel component Regular NSRCG

 

2000 post-censal half sample and April-June 2000 panel component

SED

2000 postcensal foreign bachelors oversample

2000 postcensal

SED

2000 postcensal foreign bachelors targeted subsample

2000 post-censal targeted subsample

SED

2000 postcensal foreign bachelors oversample

Optional 2000 postcensal targeted sample

2000 postcensal half sample

Current data only (CPS)

Current data only (CPS)

Current data only (CPS)

Suggested Citation:"SESTAT 2000 Decade Design Options." National Research Council. 2003. Improving the Design of the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10571.
×

The three options have some characteristics in common. First, the Survey of Doctorate Recipients would continue its current design and system of sampling and data collection under all of the options. Second, under all three options the sample of scientists and engineers would be updated biennially with new graduates from the NSRCG. Third, the SESTAT survey would be conducted biennially under each of these options.

2000 CENSUS FRAME OPTION: NEW NSCG SURVEY BASED ON 2000 CENSUS

Under the 2000 census frame option, a replication of the 1990s design, the Census Bureau would conduct a postcensal survey in October 2003 based on the 2000 census. This survey would include persons who, in April 2000, had received at least a bachelor’s degree, were 72 years of age or younger, were not institutionalized, and were living in the United States or overseas serving in the armed forces. In 2003, this sample would be contacted and interviewed for the National Survey of College Graduates. On the basis of the interview, those persons in the 2003 sample who (1) are college graduates with S&E degrees or (2) have a college degree and are working in S&E occupations would be screened into the SESTAT sample. With this approach, persons with foreign S&E degrees who were in the 2000 census as well as those with non-S&E degrees who are working in S&E occupations during October 2003 would be included (Westat, 2002a).

1990 CENSUS FRAME OPTION: A CONTINUATION OF THE 1990s PANELS

Under the 1990 census frame option, the current sample based on the 1990 census would continue, updating gaps in coverage where feasible. Nonrespondents from the original samples since 1993 would be traced in an attempt to decrease bias due to nonresponse. Targeted samples screened from the 2000 census would be used to update the sample of foreign-trained college graduates and those who work in S&E but do not have an S&E degree.

Suggested Citation:"SESTAT 2000 Decade Design Options." National Research Council. 2003. Improving the Design of the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10571.
×

HYBRID OPTION

The hybrid option combines features of the 2000 census frame option and the 1990 census frame option. Part of the sample would be selected using the 2000 census frame option and the remainder using the 1990 census frame option. Under this option, the 2000 census would be used to draw a sample of college graduates of (nominally) about half the size of that planned under the 2000 census frame option. The subpopulations consisting of foreign-trained college graduates and those with non-S&E degrees who have moved into S&E occupations since April 1993 would be represented by this part of the total sample. The remaining portion of the sample would be derived from the existing SESTAT panel, which would be subsampled, bringing its size to (nominally) about half of the total current sample size (Westat, 2002a).

Suggested Citation:"SESTAT 2000 Decade Design Options." National Research Council. 2003. Improving the Design of the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10571.
×
Page 15
Suggested Citation:"SESTAT 2000 Decade Design Options." National Research Council. 2003. Improving the Design of the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10571.
×
Page 16
Suggested Citation:"SESTAT 2000 Decade Design Options." National Research Council. 2003. Improving the Design of the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10571.
×
Page 17
Suggested Citation:"SESTAT 2000 Decade Design Options." National Research Council. 2003. Improving the Design of the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10571.
×
Page 18
Suggested Citation:"SESTAT 2000 Decade Design Options." National Research Council. 2003. Improving the Design of the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10571.
×
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The past decade has demonstrated the utility of SESTAT, but the SESTAT design shows some deficiencies with respect to response rates, coverage of populations of interest, and its ability to support some useful analyses. To tackle those deficiencies, NSF has proposed three possible design options for improving the database and asked the National Research Council's Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) to form the Committee to Review the 2000 Decade Design of the SESTAT.

This is the report of that committee. It presents our understanding of the purposes and characteristics of the SESTAT, applies the criteria we believe are important for assessing design options for the database, provides our recommendation for the best approach to adopt in the 2000 decade, and offers our encouragement to NSF to pursue opportunities to improve the understanding of the numbers and characteristics of scientists and engineers in the United States.

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