This project has been undertaken with the encouragement of the Section on Survey Research Methods, American Statistical Association, but the Section has no responsibility for the content. The descriptions on these pages are based on information provided by the vendors/developers of this software or extracted from their manuals and home pages. No mention or information on these pages should be interpreted as endorsement of any software by the ASA or by the site editor. (DISCLAIMER)

Contributions to this page are welcome: corrections, information on other software, comparative review articles, and additions to the bibliography.

This page includes links to

• a list of analysis software packages;
• the same information organized by features;
• comparative reviews: on-line text and references to reviews in print;
• a UCLA site with examples of code for analysis of survey data using four packages;
• the PEAS (Practical Exemplars on the Analysis of Surveys) site at Napier University, with examples and reviews for R, SAS, SPSS, and Stata, and some text on theory.
• Other software references of interest for survey analysts, including software for
  • hierarchical modeling,
  • imputation of missing data,
  • disclosure control, and
  • survey administration.

• AM Software from American Institutes for Research.
• Bascula from Statistics Netherlands.
• CENVAR from U.S. Bureau of the Census.
• CLUSTERS from University of Essex.
• Epi Info from Centers for Disease Control.
• Generalized Estimation System (GES) from Statistics Canada.
• IVEware from University of Michigan.
• PCCARP from Iowa State University.
• R survey package from the R Project.
  (See also the pps package for some calculations for PPS designs.)
• SAS/STAT from SAS Institute.
• SPSS Complex Samples from SPSS Inc.
• Stata from Stata Corporation.
• SUDAAN from Research Triangle Institute.
• VPLX from U.S. Bureau of the Census.
• WesVar from Westat, Inc.

• Sampling designs for which analyses are made
• Estimands and types of analyses
• Methods for variance estimation
• "Feel", interface style
• Platforms for which available
• Availability and pricing
• Contact information

• "Sampling Error Software for Personal Computers" by Jim Lepkowski and Judy Bowles, reprinted from The Survey Statistician: a general review of the reasons why special software is needed to analyse survey data, and a description of eight packages for the PC.
• "An Evaluation of Alternative PC-Based Packages for the Analysis of Complex Survey Data," by Steven B. Cohen (1997), The American Statistician, 51, 285-292. (Postscript file, Adobe PDF file - note that pagination is close to but not precisely identical with published version)
• "Comparison of Variance Estimation Software and Methods", a report prepared by a consortium of the UK Office for National Statistics, Statistics Sweden, the University of Southampton and the University of Bath, under the sponsorship of Eurostat. (See title page for full author list.) PDF file, 41 pages, released 1999. General discussion of principles, and comparison of 5 packages with detailed description of capabilities.
• "Software for Statistical Analysis of Sample Survey Data" by Barbara Lepidus Carlson, reprinted with permission from Encyclopedia of Biostatistics, Wiley, 1998. A brief discussion of variance estimation in surveys and references for a number of packages.
• "Pitfalls of Using Standard Statistical Software Packages for Sample Survey Data" by Donna Brogan, reprinted with permission from Encyclopedia of Biostatistics, Wiley, 1998. An example comparing analyses using standard software to that using software that recognizes special features of survey design.
• Introduction to Survey Analysis from UCLA Academic Technology Services defines some key concepts of survey analysis and gives examples from several packages. See also their Survey Analysis Portal for additional links.
• Analysis of Survey Data from Household Surveys in Developing and Transition Countries from the United Nations. See Chapter 21 (by Donna Brogan) for software examples and reviews.

Please send comments and suggestions regarding this page to Alan Zaslavsky, zaslavsk@hcp.med.harvard.edu

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