Publication type
Survey Futures Working Paper Series
Series Number
30
Series
Survey Futures Working Paper Series
Authors
Publication date
August 27, 2026
Summary:
The UK survey community has used the Postcode Address File (PAF) as a frame for general population sampling for a long time. Changes in the data landscape are making more information potentially available, paradoxically at a time when tighter ethical and data protection controls are making it harder to access and use. We review the history of sampling frames in UK general population surveys, describe the opportunities and challenges presented by the use of alternative data sources as additional information for sampling, and set out how a sampling facility based within government could offer a practical option for efficiently drawing samples with improved accuracy.
Subjects
Paper download#589166