Post-Enumeration Surveys

The Census Bureau has used post-enumeration surveys with dual system estimation to measure coverage in the Decennial Censuses of Population and Housing since 1980. This approach involves case-by-case matching of persons in an independent survey with persons in the census to determine who was missed or counted in error. The post-enumeration survey-based coverage measurement program associated with the 1980 Census was called the Post-Enumeration Program (PEP); in the 1990 Census it was called the Post-Enumeration Survey (PES); in Census 2000 it was called the Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation (A.C.E.); and for the 2010 Census it is called Census Coverage Measurement (CCM).

2010

The primary goal of the 2010 CCM program was to measure coverage error in the 2010 Census such that this information could be used to improve the coverage of future censuses. As a result, the scope of coverage measurement was broader and the emphasis was different than it had been in the past. Specifically, the 2010 CCM goals were to:

produce measures of coverage error, including its components of omissions and erroneous enumerations;
produce these measures of coverage error not only for demographic groups and geographic areas, but also for key census operations; and
continue to provide measures of net coverage error.

2010 CCM Workshop

The U.S. Census Bureau conducted a 2010 Census Coverage Measurement (CCM) Workshop on January 12-13, 2009, in Washington, D.C. Invited experts in the field of coverage measurement attended along with Census Bureau coverage measurement staff. The purpose of the workshop was to review the estimation methodology the Census Bureau planned to use for the CCM program and obtain input on those plans.

The following documents were provided to all participants prior to the workshop.

Agenda [<1.0 MB]

Overview of 2010 Census Coverage Measurement Program [<1.0 MB]

The Design of the Coverage Measurement Program for the 2010 Census [<1.0 MB]

2010 Census Coverage Measurement Estimation Methodology [<1.0 MB]

Correlation Bias Adjustment by Individual Year of Age [<1.0 MB]

Spurious Events in Dual System Estimation [<1.0 MB]

Missing Data Estimation for Component Error Insufficient Information Cases [<1.0 MB]

Proposed Census Coverage Measurement Estimates for Net and Component Error [<1.0 MB]

Methodology Issues [<1.0 MB]

2010 Results

May 14, 2014

Media Advisory — Census Bureau to Host News Conference on 2010 Census Coverage Measurement Results

The U.S. Census Bureau will brief the media on the release of the 2010 Census Coverage Measurement results.

Video | May 22, 2012

Census Coverage Measurement

These videos are of Census Coverage Measurement.

10 to 11 a.m. (EDT) - News Conference

Presentation slides [<1.0 MB]

News Release

Welcome and Introductions
Stan Rolark

Speakers
Robert Groves [PDF <1.0 MB]
Patrick Cantwell

1 to 4:30 p.m. (EDT) - Technical Briefing

Welcome
David Whitford

Panel Presentation and Q&A
Moderator: David Whitford
Patrick Cantwell
Tamara Adams
Thomas Mule | Presentation [PDF <1.0 MB]
Burton Reist | Presentation [PDF <1.0 MB]

Discussants
Alan Zaslavsky
Kirk Wolter | Presentation [PDF <1.0 MB]