Estimating net coverage of segments in ABS frames

Abstract

The literature has no standard method for estimating the coverage of area probability segments in address-based frames. Versatility is desirable for different study needs, but standardization improves comparability. Many segment estimates are simple ratios of counts of frame addresses to control totals, or net coverage ratios. Challenges to segment ratios include geocoding error, outdated control totals, errors in the address frame, and systematic exclusion of types of addresses. We tested various net coverage ratios on segments selected for the 2015 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, and we share our results and recommendations for using net coverage ratios for estimating coverage for segments.