Daily Bruin Article: Census takes on new measures for accurate counts in group living quarters

From UCLA's Daily Bruin

By Connie Phu

Jan. 21, 2010 at 1:29 a.m.

With the 2010 census date set for April 1, UCLA Housing is coordinating with the West Los Angeles and Culver City regional offices to ensure accurate counts in group living quarters, including on-campus dormitories and Greek housing.

“The generic idea is that we will see what makes sense in terms of what’s best for counting (group housing at UCLA). We are working ... to understand what the dorm structure and population looks like, in addition to other university housing,” West L.A. and Culver City local census office manager Hart Boykin said.

Office of Residential Life assistant director Rob Kadota said they are still in the process of negotiating the census count for the Hill but that resident assistants are likely to be involved in distributing and collecting forms.

Census data plays an imperative role in government planning. Certain groups, however, tend to be undercounted, and among those, there are college students who can easily fall through the cracks, and minorities and immigrants who have little awareness and understanding of the decennial census, said Cynthia Vuong, Asian Pacific American Legal Center project assistant.

College students are undercounted because of confusion on where they will be counted. The idea is for students to be counted where they spend most of their time, Boykin said.

In the 2000 census count that took place on the UC Berkeley campus, only one of the 1,406 students living in a dorm unit was counted.

“If you think about planning of services for students, that’s predicated upon the number of students living on campus. If it’s undercounted, then it fails in terms of feasibility,” Boykin said. “In contrast, off-campus students are considered as living in normal housing units, and those individuals will receive forms specifically to the address.”

The census helps delegate how $400 billion of federal funding is spent each year and the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives.

In addition, researchers and social scientists also draw from census data for their studies.

“It’s a very significant source of data,” UCLA professor of communication studies Michael Suman said, “No matter what it is that you’re interested in the social sciences forum ... there are so many questions of interest.”

With so much difficulty in taking an accurate count, there have been efforts to improve methods by which the census is taken.

“A certain sampling design would be better representative than getting an actual count, which is near impossible,” said Gretchen Davis, UCLA statistics professor.

“I understand that data is a form of social advocacy,” Vuong said. “I can see how that transitions into the census and its importance in communities getting a fair share of what they need in terms of hospitals, schools, roads. ... It’s all affected by the census.”

The Census Bureau also identified Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders as highly undercounted in the 2000 census. While the instructions for filling out a census questionnaire are available in over 50 languages, the questionnaire itself is only available in six languages – neglecting many of the Southeast Asian languages.

In an effort to minimize this underrepresented group, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center anchors the Asian Pacific Islander Statewide Effort to get the correct count for Asian Pacific Islanders.

The center is providing question and answer locations throughout each region they are serving for language assistance.

“Additionally, we are trying to produce materials and use social media as a form of getting the word out, especially to students with visual communication and a PSA contest,” said Vuong.

The Census Bureau is currently hiring temporary positions. Interested students can contact

2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs/

Distrust Could Dampen Census Count

We found this story off the Washington Times

By Hope Yen ASSOCIATED PRESS

With the start of the nation's decennial census just weeks away, nearly one in five persons might decline to participate in the high-stakes head count, citing mostly a lack of interest but also a broader distrust of the federal government.

A poll released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center highlighted the challenges as the U.S. Census Bureau prepares to begin its tally in March. The findings come as some groups question whether the agency's $300 million outreach effort is doing enough to reach hard-to-count communities.

"The big picture message is they've got a lot of work to do in terms of informing people," said Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center. He cited young people in particular, as well as those with less education and Hispanics who have had less exposure to the census or government.

Overall, 90 percent of those surveyed called the population count "very important" or "somewhat important" for the country. Many were also familiar with the value of the census in redistributing U.S. House seats every 10 years and distributing billions of dollars in federal aid.

Still, 12 percent of U.S. residents said they had not decided whether they would fill out the government form, and another 6 percent said they were unlikely to or definitely would not do so. These people were more likely to be young adults ages 18 to 29 and lower-income people.

Asked why they were unlikely to participate, more than half said it was because they were too busy, not interested or weren't familiar with the census. One quarter cited distrust of government or concerns about privacy.

Nearly one-third said they think the data could be used to locate illegal immigrants or that they weren't certain whether it could. Census Director Robert Groves has repeatedly said the information would be kept confidential.

"In today's America, you can't reach everybody with one or two ads on two or three television networks," said Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League and chairman of the 2010 Census Advisory Committee. "It is the depth and breadth, who delivers the message, where it's placed and the frequency."

Last month, his group, along with the NAACP and the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, called for more paid advertising in black community newspapers, because blacks historically have been undercounted.

They are not alone. The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders is urging millions of illegal immigrants to boycott the census to protest inaction on immigration reform.

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund said it has yet to receive government assurances that census data would be kept confidential. It plans to release a report later this month on notable gaps in outreach in communities with sizable Asian populations, such as Chicago, Northern Virginia, and San Jose, Calif.

In response, the Census Bureau has been touting its $133 million advertising campaign, which includes television spots in 28 different languages. As the nation's top advertiser in the coming weeks, the agency estimates it will reach the average American 42 times with slogans such as: "The 2010 census - it's in our hands."

In 2000, about 67 percent of U.S. residents mailed back their forms, with the remainder counted by door-to-door canvassing. This year, the Census Bureau is bracing for a mail-return rate that is roughly the same, if not lower, and is hiring nearly 1 million temporary employees to locate hard-to-find residents.

Seeking 18 Ethnographers for

Short-Term Research on Census 2010

Comparative Ethnographic Studies of Census Enumeration Methods and Coverage in Race/Ethnic Groups

The U.S. Census Bureau is seeking up to 18 ethnographers to do short-term research in nine race/ethnic research sites during Census 2010 field data collection operations as contractors for 4-6 months. Past research has shown that race/ethnic minority subpopulations are differentially miscounted, with implications for possible imbalances in congressional representation and allocation of federal funds. Examples of miscounts include persons not included on the census form who should be counted in the household, persons counted in more than one place or in the wrong place, and missed housing units. The study aims to document how and why miscounts happen, who is affected, and what can be improved to reduce miscounting in future censuses.



This comparative qualitative study of enumeration methods and coverage in nine race/ethnic sites will be conducted in 2010 in three census operations. The objectives are to identify 1) types of coverage error; 2) sources of coverage error (e.g., questionnaire issues, interviewer error, residence rules, socio-cultural and/or language factors, complex households, etc.); and 3) characteristics of households and persons with coverage error; and to 4) assess the extent to which these are similar or different across the race/ethnic groups, and to 5) recommend how to improve coverage of race/ethnic groups.



Current Summary of Scope of Work: Each researcher will receive training at Census Bureau headquarters in Suitland, Maryland. Each researcher will go to his/her designated race/ethnic site for 7-9 continuous days during one of three specific census data collection time periods to accompany census interviewers as they conduct 35 interviews. The researcher will tape and unobtrusively observe and listen to the census interview for cues of possible coverage errors and/or household relationships not identified with the census relationship question. If there is such a cue, the researcher will conduct an immediate targeted semi-structured debriefing with the respondent to resolve questions as to where each person should be counted, according to the census residence rules, and to clearly delineate household composition. The researcher will transcribe interviews (perhaps at a Census secure location), analyze data, write case studies, write a site report addressing the objectives and other factors identified in the research, and give a Census Bureau talk. The methodology may change somewhat before it is finalized.



Race/ethnic subpopulations: We seek 2 ethnographers to do studies in each group:

Alaska Native
American Indian (reservation)
Asian
African American
Middle Eastern
Hispanic/Latino
Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander
White (non-Hispanic)



Generalized site



Research Sites: Will be designated by the Census Bureau



Specific Time Periods for Field Research: Census operations are on a strict timetable and just one researcher will be in each site in each operation. To ensure each site and operation is covered, all selected researchers must commit in writing to full-time work for 7-9 continuous days in their designated sites during one of the following time periods.



March 29 - April 9: American Indian reservation

May 5 - May 22: Sites other than the Indian reservation

August 30 - Sept. 30: All sites



Compensation: To be determined soon.



If You are Interested and Would Like to Learn More: Compile the following:

Cover letter, including information directly relevant to this study and its methodology:

· Any experience with past censuses and/or surveys

· Experience with unobtrusive observation and debriefings

· Identification of the race/ethnic subpopulation with which you have done past research, and the specific US research locations (preference will be given to those with past or present race/ethnic research sites in the US)

· Any foreign language fluency, with level of fluency in conversation

· State your US citizenship status (you must be a US citizen)

Attachments:

· Current resume or CV

· Brief summary of your past research with the race/ethnic group you have chosen, including research design and methods employed. Identify the specific US location(s) where you conducted your past research

· Please specify if you are/are not of the same race/ethnicity as the group you wish to study

· Representative paper or report showing methodology and/or results relevant to this proposed study (less than 25 pages)

· Dates of observation in this study: State which of the three observation time period(s) listed above when you will be available to spend 7-9 continuous days of observation at the site (you will need to commit to one of these time periods in writing in order to be selected for this study).



Send these materials: 1) if by e-mail, send to all contact people below, OR 2) if by regular mail, send to just one: Laurel Schwede, Matt Clifton, or Rodney Terry.



By regular mail: By FEDEX or UPS:

U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau

Statistical Research Division, Statistical Research Division

4600 Silver Hill Road 4600 Silver Hill Road

Washington, D.C. 20233 Suitland, MD 20746



Deadlines: American Indian site: February 1, 2010. Other sites: February 10, 2010.



Contact: Laurel.K.Schwede@census.gov 301-763-2611

Rodney.Terry@census.gov 301-763-5475

Matthew.Clifton@census.gov 301-763-3086