Variance estimation of a double expanded estimator for two-phase sampling.

Two-Phase sampling, which was first introduced by Neyman (1938), has various applications in different forms. Variance estimation for two-phase sampling has been an important research topic because conventional variance estimators used in most softwares are not working. In this paper, we considered a variance estimation for two-phase sampling in which stratified two-stage cluster sampling designs are used in both phases. By defining a conditionally unbiased estimator of an approximate variance estimator, which is calculable when all elements in the first phase sample are observed, we propose an explicit form of variance estimator of the double expanded estimator for a two-phase sample. A small simulation study shows the proposed variance estimator has a negligible bias with small variance. The suggested variance estimator is also applicable to other linear estimators of the population total or mean if appropriate residuals are defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]