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Related Experiment Videos

How much do we count? Interpretation and error-making in the decennial census.

R R Iversen1, F F Furstenberg, A A Belzer

  • 1School of Social Work, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104-6214, USA. riversen@ssw.upenn.edu

Demography
|February 26, 1999
PubMed
Summary

Understanding census response is key to accurate data. This study found that residents' interpretations and literacy skills significantly impact census accuracy, highlighting a need for improved data collection methods.

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Area of Science:

  • Sociology
  • Demography
  • Survey Methodology

Background:

  • Critiques of the 1990 decennial census procedures highlighted potential issues.
  • Understanding how diverse populations engage with civic duties like census response is crucial for data accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine how low-income, inner-city residents conceptualized and managed the civic task of census response.
  • To identify factors influencing census response accuracy beyond standard evaluative methodologies.

Main Methods:

  • A field study was conducted in 1991 among low-income, inner-city residents.
  • Investigated residents' interpretations of the census purpose and meaning, commitment, and connection to government.
  • Assessed the role of literacy skills (reading and general competence) in census response.

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Main Results:

  • Interpretations of the census, commitment, and government connection were associated with undetectable errors.
  • Literacy skills, independently and in conjunction with other factors, correlated with response inaccuracies.
  • These factors influence data validity and reliability in ways not typically captured by Census Bureau evaluations.

Conclusions:

  • Census data validity and reliability can be improved by incorporating knowledge of interpretation and literacy skills.
  • Future data collection procedures should account for cognitive and literacy aspects of survey participation.
  • Findings may also apply to other self-administered survey research methodologies.