Variance-Covariance Functions for Domain Means of Ordinal Survey Items

Estimates of a sampling variance-covariance matrix are required in many statistical analyses, particularly for multilevel analysis. In univariate problems, functions relating the variance to the mean have been used to obtain variance estimates, pooling information across units or variables. We present variance and correlation functions for multivariate means of ordinal survey items, both for complete data and for data with structured non-response. Methods are also developed for assessing model fit, and for computing composite estimators that combine direct and model-based predictions. Survey data from the Consumer Assessments of Health Plans Study (CAHPS®) illustrate the application of the methodology. (December 2005)