Plan Making and Implementation Flashcards
A ________ is a research method that allows one to collect data on a topic that cannot be directly observed.
Survey
Surveys typically take a sample of a population . The population of interest is called the ________________.
Sampling frame
What type of survey gathers information about a population at a single point in time? Planners typically use this.
A cross sectional survey
What type of survey is one planners use over a long period of time?
Longitudinal survey
What type of surveys can be mailed, printed in a newspaper or administered in a group setting?
A written survey
What survey has a high and quick response rate where it target s specific population?
Group-administrative survey
A __________ allows to be dropped off at someone’s residence or business.
A drop-off survey
What type of oral surveys are there?
- Phone surveys - useful with yes/no answers; more expensive than mail or internet surveys
- Online surveys - popular, can be website, email or text, inexpensive, has higher response rate than written and interview surveys but you will not be able to reach everyone as some may not have internet access
What is probability sampling?
There is a direct mathematical relation between the sample and the population so precise conclusions can be drawn.
If you want to produce results that are representative of the whole population, probability sampling techniques are the most valid choice.
Examples include:
Random samples - where everyone had a chance of being selected
Stratified sample - the population is divided into separate groups or classes. Most electoral surveys are stratified.
Cluster sample - where a specific group out of the general population is sampled from such as the elderly or residents in a neighborhood
What is non-probability sampling?
There is no precise connection between the sample and the population.
Examples
Convenience sample - individuals readily available
Snowball sample - where one interviewed person suggests other potential interviewees
Volunteer sample - self selected respondents
What are the three important steps in the statistical process?
- Collect data (surveys)
- Describe and Summarize the distribution of the values in the data set
- Interpret by means of inferential statistics and statistical modeling (draw conclusions for the population based on the sample)
What are the different types of measurements?
- Nominal Data: classified into mutually exclusive groups or categories and lack intrinsic order. The label of the category does not matter and should not imply order.
Examples: zoning classification, social security number, etc.
- Ordinal data: ordered data implying a ranking of the observations. Only the rank counts.
Examples: letter grades, suitability for development and response scales on a survey
- Interval data: has an ordered relationship where the difference between the scales has a meaningful interpretation.
Example: temperature: the difference between 30 and 40 is the same as 20 to 30 but 20 is not twice as cold as 40 degrees.
Ratio data: gold standard of measurement - where both absolute and relative differences have a meaning.
Example: distance measured where the difference between 30 and 40 miles is the same difference between 20 and 30 miles and in addition 40 miles is twice as far as 20 miles.
What is a variable?
A mathematical representation of a concept and thus also of the measurement of that concept.
What are the types of variables?
- Quantitative Variable: actual numerical value is meaningful. Quantitative variables represent an interval or ration measurement.
Examples: household income, level of pollutant in a River
- Qualitative Variable: the actual numerical value is not meaningful. Qualitative variable correspond to nominal and ordinal measurement.
Example: Zoning Classification
- Continuous Variables: can take on an infinite number of values, both possible and negative.
- Discrete Variables: can only take on a finite number of distinct values.
Example: count of a number events such as accidents per month; can’t be negative and only take on integer values such as 1, 28 or 211.
______________ use probability theory to determine characteristics of a population based on observations made on a sample from that population.
Example: take 25 test takers and use their average age to say something about the mean of all of the test takers.
Inferential Statistics
___________ is the overall shape of all the observed data. It can be listed as an ordered table or graphically represented by a histogram or density plot.
Distribution
What is the difference of a histogram and a density plot?
Histogram groups observations in bins represented as a bar chart.
A density plot is a smooth curve.
The full distribution is typically too overwhelming so that it’s characteristics are summarized by descriptive statistics.
What is the Gaussian Distribution?
Also known as normal and referred to as the bell curve.
____________ is a distribution where an equal number of observations are below and above the mean.
Symmetric Distribution
What is typically the preferred measure of central tendency?
Median is preferred (ranked distribution - one in the middle)
The other two measures in central tendency include
Mean (average) and mode (the most frequent number in a distribution).
What are the four major population estimation and projection methods?
- Linear Method - uses the change in population over a period of time and extrapolates this change to the future.
Ex: Population growth 1000/year the last 20 years, assume it would grow again 1000/year.
- Symptomatic Method: uses any available data indirectly related to population size such as housing starts or new drivers licenses. It then estimates the population using a ratio such as average household size.
Example: average household size is 2.5 on 100 new single family building permits, the yield would estimate 250 new people added to the community.
- Step-Down Ratio Method: this method uses the ratio of the population at a known point in time (usually census) and use it to prosody the current or future population.
Ex: Plannersville is 20% of the county population which is 20,000 and therefore Plannersville is 4,000.
- Cohort Survival Method: uses current population plus natural increase (more births, fewer deaths), and net migration to calculate a future population.
What are the three major economic analysis methods?
- Economic Base Analysis:
looks at basic and non-basic economic activities.
Basic can be exported
Non-Basic are locally oriented
The exporting industries make up the economic base of a region.
A location quotient if less than 1 is an importing economy. Greater than 1 is exporting.
- Shift-Share Analysis:
analyzes the local economy with a larger economy. Looks at differential shift, proportional shift and economic growth. - Input-Output Analysis
A quantitative method that links suppliers and purchasers to determine the economic output of a region. Requires a large quantity of data which is costly.
Between 2000 and 2010, the US has continued to urbanize with _______ of the US population living in urban areas.
81%
What are the fastest growing states? The slowest?
Nevada (35%)
Arizona (25%)
Utah (24%)
Idaho (21.1)
Rhode Island
Louisiana
Ohio
Michigan’s population declined over this decade losing .6% (only state to decline)