Simultaneous confidence intervals for proportions under cluster sampling

The paper describes a Monte Carlo study of simultaneous confidence interval procedures for k > 2 proportions, under a model of two-stage cluster sampling. The procedures investigated include: (i) standard multinomial intervals; (ii) Scheffé intervals based on sample estimates of the variances of cell proportions; (iii) Quesenberry-Hurst intervals adapted for clustered data using Rao and Scott’s first and second order adjustments to X^2; (iv) simple Bonferroni intervals; (v) Bonferroni intervals based on transformations of the estimated proportions; (vi) Bonferroni intervals computed using the critical points of Student’s t. In several realistic situations, actual coverage rates of the multinomial procedures were found to be seriously depressed compared to the nominal rate. The best performing intervals, from the point of view of coverage rates and coverage symmetry (an extension of an idea due to Jennings), were the t-based Bonferroni intervals derived using log and logit transformations. Of the Scheffé-like procedures, the best performance was provided by Quesenberry-Hurst intervals in combination with first-order Rao-Scott adjustments.