Census Reform

Major Expansion in Use of Administrative Records for 2000 Is Doubtful Gao ID: T-GGD-92-54 June 26, 1992

In redesigning the census, the Department of Commerce and the Census Bureau are considering a major role for administrative records, including the possibility that such records could totally replace direct enumeration by the year 2000. GAO testified that administrative records, though likely to be used in the next census, will not play a big part in basic data collection. Nonetheless, the Census Bureau must ensure that it maintains a consistent and coordinated approach to research on administrative records not only for the year 2000 census, but also for later censuses when increased use of such records may be promising. Equally important, the Census Bureau must maintain a research program for administrative records that does not depend on the decennial census and fully uses administrative records in other demographic data programs.



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