Unweighted data are the actual responses of each survey respondent. The data are weighted or adjusted to compensate for the overrepresentation or under-representation of persons in various subgroups. The data are further weighted to adjust the distribution of the sample data so that it reflects the total population of the sampled area. Health care coverage results for Alaska are further analyzed by the Alaska Division of Public Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. This analysis adjusts for survey respondents who report they have no health care coverage and then in a follow up question report to be covered by a health care plan.
Telephone interviews are faster and less expensive than face to face interviews.
The one main limitation of any telephone survey is that those people without phones cannot be reached and are not represented. The percentage of households with a telephone varies by region in Alaska . In general, persons of low socioeconomic status are less likely than persons of higher socioeconomic status to have phones and are undersampled. With surveys based on self-reported information, the potential for bias must be kept in mind when interpreting results. Interpreting and reporting weighted numbers that are based on a small, unweighted number of respondents can be misleading.