The census is a self-portrait of the nation. The U.S. Constitution requires the federal government count everyone living in the country every 10 years.

Every 10 years, the United States conducts a “Decennial Census.” The goal of the census is to count every person who lives in the country where they live.

El censo es un autorretrato de la nación. La constitución de los EE. UU. requiere que el gobierno federal haga un conteo de todas las personas que residen en los Estados Unidos cada 10 años.

After extensive research to improve data collection on Hispanic origin and race, the Census Bureau recommended a new combined question format for the 2020 Census form.

On March 26, 2018, the Secretary of Commerce agreed to a Department of Justice request, and announced a last minute decision to add an untested and unnecessary citizenship question to the 2020 Census questionnaire. By adopting a major change to the Census form without any sound advance testing, the Department has violated settled Census Bureau policy.

From the inclusion of a new citizenship question, to the exclusion of a “Middle Eastern or North African” category and combined question format, consistent underfunding, and a leadership vacuum, the accuracy of the 2020 Census is being threatened.

Research by AAI and Zogby International suggest that the Census Bureau estimate is likely significantly lower than the actual number of Arab Americans in the country.

This memo offers relevant background on these threats to a fair, accurate, and cost-effective census and comprehensive ACS, as well as arguments to counter these ill-advised, costly and, in some cases, unconstitutional proposals.

Adding a new question on citizenship to the 2020 Census will disrupt preparations at a pivotal point in the decade, undermine years of research and testing, jeopardize the accuracy of the 2020 Census by deterring many people from responding, and increase census costs significantly.

Because it is part of the constitutionally mandated census, participation in filling out the ACS is required by law. There is no other source for the reliable, nationwide, community-level data gathered through the ACS.

The census is the basis for equal political representation under the Constitution. Policymakers use census data to identify community needs and to distribute federal program dollars to states and localities based on population numbers or other community characteristics that the census and related American Community Survey measure.

Health care providers, health insurance companies, government agencies, and beneficiaries need accurate information to make decisions regarding the products and services they provide and utilize. An inaccurate measure of the U.S. population and its characteristics could deprive the health care sector of vital resources needed to ensure it is meeting each community’s needs.

At a macro level, the 2010 Census appeared to be close to perfect. But the apparent precision can be misleading and doesn’t tell the whole story. This Fact Sheet discusses what we know about census accuracy and why it matters to funders and their grantees.

Young children – defined as children under age five – have been undercounted for decades, disadvantaging their families, communities, and neighborhoods.

More U.S. households are renting today than at any point in the last 50 years. In total, more than one third of U.S. households are renters (37 percent), a number that has ballooned since the start of the Great Recession.

More than 29 million people in or near poverty (below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level) live in hard-to-count census tracts, making up almost 50 percent of the U.S. population that lives in hard-to-count communities.

Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs) have been undercounted for decades. Today, roughly one in five Asian Americans live in hard-to-count census tracts, along with one third of NHPIs.

American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN or Native peoples) have been undercounted for decades and roughly one quarter (26 percent) of Natives currently live in hard-to-count Census tracts.

The African-American population has been historically undercounted in the decennial census, disadvantaging their families, communities, and neighborhoods.

Communities of color, urban and rural low-income households, immigrants, and young children are all at risk of being missed at disproportionately high rates. Being undercounted deprives already vulnerable communities of fair representation and vital community resources.