Master's Internship Statistics: Data Analysis Quality of the Respondent

Are you that curious statistics student who gets energized by data analysis and complex issues? Do you want to investigate how choices in the sampling process affect the response and quality of statistics? During this master's internship at CBS, you will dive into real data, work with R, and contribute to better statistics for the Netherlands.

CBS draws samples from the Dutch population to create various statistics. This involves selective non-response. We undertake various attempts to make the response as uniform as possible (based on various background characteristics of individuals). In doing so, we try to obtain as much response as possible, but at the same time, we also look at the composition of the response. In particular, we look at this in various studies in the form of target group-oriented approaches [1].

Because sending letters is becoming increasingly expensive, the trade-off between quality and cost is becoming increasingly relevant even for studies that take place only via internet survey. In these types of studies, multiple letters are sent if individuals do not fill in the questionnaire immediately. Because these letters are becoming increasingly expensive, it seems obvious to not send reminders to individuals who have not yet responded, but who at the same time belong to groups that have already responded sufficiently. In a sense, this would also be a target group-oriented approach.

In this internship, you will work on one of the core processes within CBS: drawing and utilizing the sample.
This touches the core of our processes: without high-quality data, we cannot create high-quality statistics.
You will look at the consequences for our statistics of various choices we can make during the design. Are there shifts in the composition of the response and, if so, can we understand why those shifts exist? And, perhaps even more importantly, is there any sign of potential shifts when creating the statistics? What happens if you leave certain groups out of the response?

Depending on the outcomes, it may be useful and desirable to introduce a kind of target group approach in studies with only CAWI observation. Given the rising costs of sending letters, it is quite possible that we will actually implement this.

[1] Target group approach (adaptive survey design) | CBS

Within the team, almost all samples for CBS are drawn. With this, we are at the core of the observation process, and all kinds of statistics pass through the team. Additionally, we are involved in making estimates: how can we include respondents in such a way that sensible results emerge from our studies that actually say something about the entire population?

We are a team of highly educated professionals striving for high quality. If our methods can be improved or expanded so that we can better manage the data that CBS collects, we become very happy. In this internship, you will look to see if such possibilities exist. Depending on the results, we will re-examine existing methods.

You are following a science-based education at master's level with statistics as your field of study.

You have knowledge of and perhaps experience with:

• data analysis;

• various research methods and techniques;

• programming in R;

• simulations;

• reporting findings in a clear and structured form.

Keywords that describe you are proactive, analytical, strong communicator, and critical.

A pleasant learning environment in which you:

• increase your professional knowledge and gain work experience by conducting research and analyzing data;

• further develop your communication skills and learn to present research results clearly;

• tackle challenges and search for solutions.

In return for your commitment, you will receive an internship allowance of € 800,- gross per month (based on 40 hours per week).

Together with your internship supervisor, you will coordinate how you can work hybridly, with flexible working hours and the option to work partly from home on your internship assignment.

This concerns an internship assignment and not a work experience placement. Before you begin the internship, we expect you to have an internship supervisor from your educational institution, with whom the internship has been coordinated and concrete learning objectives have been agreed upon.
This internship assignment is intended for students who are currently enrolled at an educational institution; graduates are not eligible.