Census 2000 questionnaires submitted to Congress (04/26/98)

Census 2000 questionnaires submitted to Congress

by Todd Columbus
Ukrainian National Information Service

WASHINGTON - Preparations continue for the decennial census of 2000. The U.S. Census Bureau has officially submitted to Congress the questions it intends to include on the census questionnaires. As part of the census process, the Census Bureau will print over 300 million questionnaires to be mailed to the estimated 120 million households in the United States. Distribution of these mailings and the start of the census are scheduled for mid-March 2000.

Recently several Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives co-sponsored a resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 246, to allow for the use of a long form to gain more specific demographic information. This, however, has caused a great deal of debate in Congress.

The 2000 Census intends to incorporate three different forms as part of the process: a short form, a long form, and a "be counted" form. Improvements are still to be made to the forms, and the Census Bureau has noted that the forms will be easier to read and understand because of larger type sizes and the addition of information describing how census information benefits communities.

The short form will be sent to the vast majority of households nationwide and includes seven questions. This number is down significantly from the 1990 census when 13 questions constituted this form. As noted in the concurrent resolution, this decrease was effected in response to a mandate from Congress "to reduce the reporting burden on the nation's residents." Six of the questions included on the short form are population-related, while the remaining question is related to housing (whether respondents own or rent the house in which they live).

The long form, unlike the short form, will be distributed only to an average of one in six households. This form includes 52 questions covering a wide range of subjects, including the questions appearing on the short form. Questions concerning race have been modified to allow respondents to check off more than one race. Also proposed is a question concerning ethnicity and ancestry. The long form will include "only those subjects that have specific legislative justification."

Finally, the "be counted" forms are meant to maximize public participation and will be posted in locations such as post offices and convenience stores. It will consist of the short-form questions of the census, which the public may pick up at convenient locations, fill out and mail. The "be counted" form is seen by the Census Bureau as another way to encourage people to participate in the decennial census.

The Census Bureau also will organize various community organizations to host questionnaire centers, where bureau officials will answer questions regarding all forms of the 2000 Census.

Serious debate has arisen in Congress concerning the implementation of the long form, or what is being referred to as sampling. Currently, two separate court cases are challenging the use of sampling to count the population in the census.

Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) stated that "improving the accuracy of the census through the use of sampling is essential" because past methods have missed minorities and rural Americans.

Rep. Dan Miller (R-Fla.) said he views the census as "pure politics" on the administration's part and worries it may hurt Republicans in the redistricting process.

The use of sampling is important to many minorities and ethnic communities throughout the United States as it provides a means by which their representation in the American population can be gauged. This, in turn, plays a critical role in the allocation and distribution of federal funds to state and local governments. In H. Con. Res. 246, the General Accounting Office has noted "that over $170 billion each year in Federal program funds are distributed to state and local governments on the basis of data collected in the census, including data available only from the long form."