Good results come to those who weight: on the importance of sampling weights in empirical research using survey data

David Boto-García

Current Issues in Tourism, 2024, vol. 27, issue 2, 268-287

Abstract: Many empirical studies in tourism research use primary or secondary survey data. Generally, non-response is not random in the target population, so sampling weights are required to adjust for endogenous sampling. However, it is yet unclear in which situations survey weights should be applied. This paper proposes two simple tests to detect whether weights are truly needed. The relevance of weighting for correct inference and how to perform the tests are illustrated using two case studies that employ large-scale survey microdata on travel habits by European residents from the Flash Eurobarometer. First, we investigate the correlates of travel frequency paying attention to the role of age. Second, we study cross-country heterogeneity in the factors that motivate European citizens to consume peer-to-peer accommodation services. Our findings have important implications for research practice, and the proposed tests can be easily applied in case studies to detect the need for sampling weighs.

Date: 2024
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/13683500.2023.2178394 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:rcitxx:v:27:y:2024:i:2:p:268-287

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/rcit20

DOI: 10.1080/13683500.2023.2178394

Access Statistics for this article

Current Issues in Tourism is currently edited by Jennifer Tunstall

More articles in Current Issues in Tourism from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().