ABSTRACT

Addressing methodological and substantive research problems common to local Jewish population studies, the contributorsto this book present the most recent research findings on suchproblems as how to design studies that will make a contributionto social science knowledge as well as have a strong impacton the planning process; methods of sampling that will optimizethe trade-offs between costs and accuracy; how to develop acomparative framework so that results from individual communitiesmay be fruitfully understood in a larger context; and whichquestions should be asked in surveys and how. Detailed essaysdiscuss every step of the research process. The book includesa compendium of findings from several recent. population studiesas well as an annotated inventory of questionnaire items, allof which should prove useful to researchers and communitiesplanning to undertake Jewish population studies.

part One|64 pages

Initiating and Utilizing Local Jewish Population Studies

chapter 2|12 pages

Jewish Demographic Studies as a Planning Process

Coalition Formation and Applied Research

chapter 4|5 pages

Planning Policy and Research

The Perspective of a Federation Executive

chapter 5|9 pages

Using Jewish Population Study Data for Decision Making

Theoretical Considerations and Practical Experience

part Two|69 pages

Issues in Data Collection and Analysis

chapter 8|15 pages

Sample Design and Population Estimation

The Experience of the New York Jewish Population Study (1981–1984)

chapter 10|11 pages

Including Non-Jews in Jewish Community Samples

Substantive and Methodological Issues

part Three|74 pages

Resources for Questionnaire Design and Interpretation of Findings