Yet another book on the statistics of samples: what can there be left to say? Indeed there is a very large choice of titles on statistics and sampling and most of what is in this book can be found somewhere in the published literature. There are two main kinds of book in this area. One kind presents the statistics of simple samples in a simplistic way, based on the application of pure probability theory, and is inclined to gloss over the fact that reality is rarely that simple. The other kind deals with the complexities of complex samples, but often in a way that anyone but a specialist mathematician will find daunting. Our purpose is to provide an appreciation of the statistical issues involved in real-life sample surveys and practical guidance on how to cope with them, without losing sight of the need to remain comprehensible to the non-mathematician.

Qualified professional statisticians, particularly those whose interest lies mainly in the assessment of sampling and non-sampling survey error, may find this book too superficial. But it is intended primarily for practising researchers whose main concern is to extract meaning from survey results and to apply it in the formulation of plans and policies, and who may have only basic formal statistical training.