Concern for 2010 Census Grows
Feature Story from civilrights.org
Jon Jackson
August 8, 2008
With the 2010 census fast approaching, civil rights groups and some members of Congress fear that the U.S. Census Bureau is not committing to reducing the "undercount" -- people who are not counted during a census.
Federal funding for hospitals, education, child-care, disaster preparation -- as well as fair representation in Congress -- are all determined by the number of people counted by the census in a given geographic area. Undercounting certain populations, such as minorities or low-income people, may reduce federal funding for the services that these populations need most, or fail to accord them proportionate voting representation.
Obtaining an accurate count of some segments of minority populations has traditionally been difficult for the Census Bureau. Many people simply choose not to fill out census forms or are intimidated and skeptical about giving personal information to the federal government.
Factors such as homelessness or language barriers also contribute to the undercount.
Although the bureau adjusts their final numbers to include an estimation of people not counted, many believe that the adjusted count does not accurately reflect the actual population.
"Today the challenge to count all Americans is at its greatest…the population in the United States has grown and is more diverse then in 2000, which makes the upcoming census even more important," said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D, N.Y., at a July 10 hearing held by the House Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census and National Archives.
A lack of resources for the upcoming census was a primary area of concern at the hearing, held to investigate what the bureau is doing to reduce the undercount in 2010. Witnesses at the hearing said that more funds are needed to accurately count minorities and low-income groups.
"Out of the budget money spent by the Census Bureau – $212 million – only $12 million goes to the economically disadvantaged. Since we usually have a 10 percent undercount, this does not seem like adequate funding," said Rep. Diane Watson, D. Calif., at the hearing.
To address the undercount, the bureau created the Partnership Program, which involves outreach to community organizations and leaders to communicate the importance of the census to members of historically undercounted communities.
Civil rights groups have supported the program because it provides a trusting environment for populations that wouldn't otherwise fill out the census form to do so.
However, Steven H. Murdock, director of the Census Bureau, told the subcommittee during a second hearing on July 30 that the Partnership Program is far from ready. The Partnership Program is scheduled to have 680 field workers nationwide by 2009, but there are only 120 currently employed.
Without adequate funding, Murdock said that the Census Bureau will be unable to staff the program.
"The census is the foundation of democracy," said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. "It is important to address the problems of the past with the census, so we can proceed to a more equal future."
