The opportunities and challenges of sampling frames enhanced with alternative data sources in the UK

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.