|
|
Taking the decennial census is a big project.
For Census 2000, many people were hired to assist in counting the population;
temporary employment peaked at about 475,000 one week. In preparation
for this effort, the US Census Bureau developed operational plans which
were evaluated by using the results of test-censuses to find out how response
would be affected. Deciding which subjects to include in Census 2000 was an interactive process involving the Census Bureau, the Office of Management and Budget, and the US Congress. To balance concerns about the intrusiveness of the decennial census and the government’s need for data, only those subjects having specific federal justification for their inclusion were on the Census 2000 questionnaire. For Census 2000, as in several previous censuses, two forms were used – a short form and a long form. The short form was sent to every household, and the long form, containing the seven 100 percent questions, plus the sample questions, was sent to only a limited number of households. Generally, about one in every six houses nationwide received the long
form. The rate varied from one to two households in some smaller
areas, to one in eight households for more densely populated areas.
Changes to the Questionnaire. One new subject was added to the Census 2000 questionnaire: grandparents as caregivers. This additional question complies with legislation passed by the 104th Congress requiring that the decennial census obtain information about grandparents who have primary responsibility for care of grandchildren (Title 13, United States Code, Chapter 5, Section 141). Several questions from the 1990 Census, including information about children ever born, source of water, sewage disposal, and condominium status, were dropped for Census 2000. One important change for Census 2000 was the question on disability. In 1990, the question was “Does this person have a physical, mental or other health condition that has lasted for more than 6 months and that limits the amount of work this person can do at a job or prevents this person from working at a job.” In 2000, the question was revised to inquire about blindness, deafness, and the ability to perform physical and mental tasks. Also in 1990, the questions were asked for those 15 years and older, while in 2000 the data were collected for persons 5 years and over. Additionally, there was a revision to the questions on race. Respondents
were given the option of selecting one or more race categories to indicate
their racial identities.
To mail out the questionnaires, the Census Bureau has to have an accurate address list for the country. One of the important initiatives for Census 2000 was the Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) Program http://www.census.gov/dmd/www/LUCA.htm made possible by the Census Address List Improvement Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-430). Under LUCA, the Census Bureau and local governmental officials worked together to update mailing and address information. In addition to LUCA, the Census Bureau worked with the US Postal Service (USPS) using a postal check to validate addresses and to identify and add addresses that were missing from their database. The Census Bureau also used enumerators, the Census Bureau staff who go door-to-door gathering the data, to canvass roads and streets looking for living quarters. After block canvassing was completed, the information was added to the TIGER® database. The Census Bureau also planned for an update just prior to Census Day (April 1, 2000) of newly constructed units and followed up after Census Day with a check on vacant buildings As a result, more than 80 percent of all households had USPS-delivered questionnaires. For rural areas (e.g., those with a rural route number or a post office box), the Census Bureau had a door-to-door canvass to identify each structure and locate it on census maps. Census 2000 was the first decennial census to use a paid advertising campaign. The campaign featured print and broadcast media, as well as outdoor advertising to encourage positive informative coverage that emphasized the importance of responding to the census. The core message of the campaign was “This
An advance letter sent out to alert the public to the importance of Census 2000. It stated that individuals could request a census questionnaire in Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Chinese or Korean. The US Postal Service delivered questionnaires between March 13-15. A follow-up postcard was sent out on the Census Day to remind those who had not yet completed their questionnaires to fill them out, and thanked those who had already done so. The “Be Counted” program allowed people who thought they hadn’t received a questionnaire to pick up a questionnaire in community locations across the country and fill it out. And, enumerators followed up with the households that did not return their questionnaires, making multiple contacts (telephone calls and personal visits) to housing units believed to be occupied. As a result of the advertising campaign and follow-up, the national final response rate was 67 percent. This exceeded the projected response rate of 61 percent and was better than the 65 percent response rate from the 1990 Census. This was the first time in census history that the mail response rate increased from the previous census. The major improvement in automation for taking Census 2000 was a data
capture method that took advantage of available hardware and software
representing advances in information technology and systems.
After the census was taken, the Census Bureau evaluated the coverage using a coverage measurement survey. Each of the past few censuses have had debates about undercount and whether or not data should be “adjusted,” and the 2000 Census was no exception. In October 2001, after the coverage measurement survey was evaluated, the decision to use the unadjusted Census 2000 figures was announced. Another important technological advance between the 1990 and 2000 censuses was the development and use of the Internet. In 1996 the Census Bureau made a decision to use the Internet. In 1996, the Census Bureau made a decision to use the Internet to disseminate Census 2000 data and publications. This was followed by the development and implementation of what is now the American Factfinder (AFF). AFF has data from multiple sources (e.g. 1990 Census, 1997 Economic Census) and also has thematic and reference maps so that users can see the area for which they want data. After the census was taken, numbers were reported on a schedule determined in part by US law. The results of the census are reported:
|
||||||||||||||||
