Critical Issues for Census Adjustment

Completing Post Enumeration Survey on Time While Protecting Data Quality Gao ID: T-GGD-90-15 January 30, 1990

GAO discussed the Census Bureau's dress rehearsal post-enumeration survey (PES), which the Bureau intended to compare with census records to determine census accuracy. GAO noted that: (1) PES will be a major basis for any census adjustments; (2) the dress rehearsal PES showed that the census undercounted minorities at disproportionate rates; (3) the Bureau generally implemented its PES procedures as planned; (4) the Bureau was unlikely to meet a court-ordered 1991 deadline for reporting census adjustments, since its PES rehearsals took significantly longer than planned; (5) a compressed time schedule for PES activities could endanger data quality; and (6) personnel recruitment and retention problems could further hamper the Bureau's ability to meet the deadline.



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