Simulation studies of Repeated weighting

Repeated weighting provides a method to obtain sets of table estimates with numerically consistent margins from combinations of registers and surveys. It is based on repeated application of the regression estimator and generates a new set of weights for each table which is estimated. Repeated weighting is implemented in the prototype software package VRD. This report describes the results of five simulations in which various aspects of repeated weighting were tested. The differences in accuracy between the repeated weighting- and the standard regression estimator were found to be small. When correctly implemented, repeated weighting consistently yielded a smaller standard deviation. In certain cases, a very limited increase in bias compared to standard weighting was found. The VRD estimator for the variance was found to be reliable only for cells of sufficient size and with a low enough variance of the weights.