2010: A whole new census?

Leonard M. Gaines, Ph.D.

Empire State Development

Keywords: Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Maps, Census sample data, American Community Survey (ACS), address lists

In spite of what many believe to have been a very successful census in 2000, a number of operational changes have been proposed for the 2010 Census. These changes have the potential to greatly reduce the cost of the decennial census. If implemented, they will also produce a very different type of data product.

Among the changes being proposed is the replacement of the long form with a system for collecting and issuing data about the same subjects on a continuous basis. Changes are also being proposed in the methods used to identify the location of housing units. This presentation will discuss these changes and some of their potential impacts on data quality and use.