Census Undercount And Feasibility Of Adjusting Census Figure

In dispute is the proposed census sampling technique for addressing the problem of undercount. Media reports often suggest that experts share a consensus that sampling would heighten the accuracy of the census. This text presents a scientific case against the proposed procedure.

In 1982 the Census Bureau requested the Committee on National Statistics to establish a panel to suggest research and experiments, to recommend improved methods, and to guide the Census Bureau on technical problems in appraising contending methods with regard to the conduct of the decennial census. In response, the panel produced an interim report that focused on recommendations for improvements in census methodology that warranted early investigation and testing. This report updates and expands the ideas and conclusions about decennial census methodology.