Census adjustment: Statistical promise or illusion?

David A. Freedman; Kenneth W. Wachter

doi:10.1007/bf02712617

Choice and Conflict about Census Data Adjusting the American Census Count

Journal of Public Policy ◽

10.1017/s0143814x00006322 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 357-398 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Michael L. Cohen

Keyword(s):

Census Data ◽

Political Representation ◽

The United States ◽

Political Conflict ◽

Census Bureau ◽

Census Count ◽

Social Fact ◽

The Us ◽

Census Adjustment ◽

Us Census

ABSTRACTThe census is a social fact, the outcome of a process that involves the interaction of public laws and institutions and citizens' responses to an official inquiry. However, it is not a ‘hard’ fact. Reasons for inevitable defects in the census count are listed in the first section; the second section reports efforts by the US Census Bureau to identify sources of error in census coverage, and make estimates of the size of the errors. The use of census data for policy purposes, such as political representation and allocating funds, makes these defects controversial. Errors may be removed by making adjustments to the initial census count. However, because adjustment reallocates resources between groups, it has become the subject of political conflict. The paper describes the conflict between statistical practices, laws and public policy about census adjustment in the United States, and concludes by considering the extent to which causes in America are likely to be found in other countries.

Download Full-text

The 1991 Census Adjustment: Undercount or Bad Data?

Statistical Science ◽

10.1214/ss/1177010259 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 458-475 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Leo Breiman

Keyword(s):

Census Adjustment ◽

Bad Data

Download Full-text

Case Study in the Application of Adjusted Census Data for Planning Projects

Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board ◽

10.3141/1617-08 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 1617 (1) ◽

pp. 56-63

Author(s):

Victor J. Siaurusaitis ◽

Larry J. Saben

Keyword(s):

Travel Demand ◽

Census Data ◽

Model Development ◽

Traffic Model ◽

Data Collection Process ◽

Demand Models ◽

Home Interview ◽

Adjustment Factors ◽

Data Definition ◽

Census Adjustment

The reasons for differences between locally collected data and the 1990 census data, as determined from a detailed analysis of model development efforts in a planning study, are detailed. Agencies around the country are beginning to use census data that have been adjusted based on newly released Federal Highway Administration publications. The recently completed Transportation Planner’s Handbook on Conversion Factors for the Use of Census Data has been published to assist planners in using the 1990 census to develop and calibrate local travel demand models. Collecting new data to complete the development of a local model is not always an option. The 1990 census provides another source of information to assist in traffic model estimation. Potential users of the census need to be aware that there would appear to be a variance between results obtained from the census journey-to-work files and locally developed home interview surveys, even after the use of the census adjustment factors. The project in Atlanta, Georgia, involved detailed traffic model development and calibration, in conjunction with factor-adjusted census data. Because of the intimate understanding of the data for the study area, and the development of the model set from the beginning, differences between the locally collected data and census were explainable. Possible problems that can arise when comparing the data as they relate to geography, data definition, and accuracy of the data collection process are detailed.

Download Full-text