Bureau of Census' Planning and Budgeting for 1980 Census and Programs To Reduce Decennial Census Undercount

The Bureau of Census estimates that the cost of the 1980 census will be $960 million, and anticipated inflation may increase the amount to over $1 billion. The following improvements that will cost $367 million are being planned for the 1980 census: procedures aimed at obtaining a better population count than in 1970; changes in field staff management; and improvements in data quality. Problems involved in achieving an accurate population count include: dwelling units difficult to find (attics and basement apartments); unusual dwelling places (campers, boats, tents); drifters (railway and bus stations); and persons deliberately omitted by the household respondent (fugitives from justice, persons behind in alimony and child support payments, and violators of building occupancy requirements who fear identification). In the 1970 census there was an estimated undercount of 5.3 million persons, or 2.7 percent; the undercount rate for blacks, however, was estimated at 1.9 million persons, or 7.7 percent. It was recommended that mailcarriers be used for followup enumeration work, but this idea was rejected by the Postal Service because it would be too disruptive to mail service. A two-stage questionnaire is being considered in the hope that a simplified first stage might encourage greater public cooperation. Research on measuring and adjusting for census undercounts is continuing at the Census Bureau. A large scale postenumeration survey is a possibility that is being considered.