A historical appraisal of Greek survey sampling practices

Abstract

This paper highlights some of the distinguished episodes in the history of survey sampling in Greece. There are many themes common to other National Statistics Offices (NSOs). Survey sampling in Greece basically started in the 1960s when Raj and Pearl introduced probability sampling into the practice of the Greek statistical agency (NSO) and the education of its senior staff. It is due to this work that the national statistical service is the only institution, conducting on a regular basis, probability sample surveys in Greece. As will be seen, these efforts are in line with those of many government agencies in the European Union (EU).