General Guidelines for Developing New Master Sampling Frame for National Household Surveys in Egypt

The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) has been conducting household surveys for several years using a sampling frame based on the 1986 Egypt census data, and an updated listing of households in sample “chunks.” One of the last surveys conducted using this frame was the 1995/96 Household Income, Expenditure and Consumption Survey (HIECS). The sample design for this survey is described in the report on “Sample Design and Estimation Procedures for Egypt Household Income, Expenditure and Consumption Survey" (Megill, September 1995). As indicated in that report, given that strict boundaries were not used in listing the households in each sample “chunk,” the exact probabilities of selection for the sample households are unknown, but approximate weights can be calculated. Given the outdated sampling frame and the limitations of the previous sampling procedures for the household surveys, it would be ideal to develop a new master sampling frame based on the recent census information.