Approximate Methods to Obtain the Optimum Stratum Boundaries: A Comparative Study

Abstract

In this article, we shall present an approximately optimal method for constructing stratum boundary points when the sample is allocated proportionally. The method is based on an equal partitioning of the cumulative f^(6⁄(7 )), where f is the distribution of the stratification variable. We show that in many practical situations, this technique compares favorably with approximately optimal stratification and allocation methods of previously suggested.

Keywords

• proportional allocation
• stratification
• optimum strata boundaries
• cumulative frequency distribution
• efficiency