Experimentation and Evaluation Plans for the 2010 Census Interim Report (2008) / Chapter Skim
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3 Initial Views on 2010 Census Evaluations
3 Initial Views on 2010 Census Evaluations
Pages 37-46
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From page 37... ...
. The Master Address File used to support the American Community Survey during the intercensal period is essentially an update of the 2000 census MAF, revised to include edits to the Postal Service's Delivery Sequence File and new construction.
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From page 38... ...
This information will support a comprehensive evaluation of the Local Update of Census Addresses and address canvassing. In addition, sufficient information should be retained, including relevant information from administrative records and the American Community Survey, to support evaluations of methods for targeting blocks that may not benefit from block canvassing.
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From page 39... ...
A master trace sample database would be extremely useful in addressing the needs described in the previous section, including understanding the source of duplicates in the Master Address File and evaluating the benefits of LUCA and the block canvass operation. An overall assessment of the workings of the coverage follow-up interview would be feasible if the master trace sample database collected sufficient data so that it was known for each housing unit in the CFU interview what triggered the CFU interview and what the result of the interview was -- that is, what changes were made and what information precipitated the change.
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From page 40... ...
Also, selecting the minimum data to be collected that is included in the master trace sample database is crucial to address early on. This is because while the addition of various sets of variables from different parts of the census and the census management information system provides broader capabilities for investigating various aspects of census-taking, the inclusion of each additional set of variables complicates the formation of the database.
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From page 41... ...
should determine the extent to which the American Community Survey could be used as a means for evaluating the coverage of the decennial census through use of a reverse record check. Edit Protocols Edit protocols are decisions about enumerations or the associated characteristics for a housing unit that are made based on information already collected, hence avoiding additional fieldwork.
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From page 42... ...
Coverage Assessment of Group Quarters The census coverage measurement program in 2010 will not assess some aspects of the coverage error for individuals living in group quarters. Through use of a national match, as in the 2000 census evaluation, the Census Bureau will be able to estimate the number of duplicates both between those in the group quarters population and those in the nongroup quarters population and the number of duplicates entirely within the group quarters population (see Mule, 2002, for the rate of duplication for various types of group quarters in the 2000 census)
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From page 43... ...
A GENERAL APPROACH TO CENSUS EVALUATION The panel also has some general advice on selecting and structuring census evaluations. As mentioned above, the evaluations in 2000 were not as useful as they could have been in providing detailed assessments as to the types of individuals, housing units, households, and areas for which various census processes performed more or less effectively.
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From page 44... ...
While certainly not as reliable or useful as a true experiment, analyses such as these could provide useful evidence for the assessment of various component processes without any impact on the functioning of the 2010 census. Second, comprehensive data from the 2010 census, its management information systems, the 2010 census coverage measurement program, and contextual data from the American Community Survey and from administrative records need to be saved in an accessible form to support more exploratory analysis of census processes, including graphical displays.
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From page 45... ...
The Census Bureau needs to develop a long-term plan for obtaining knowledge about census methodology in which the research undertaken at each point in time fully reflects what has already been learned so that the research program is truly cumulative. This research should be firmly grounded in the priorities of improving data quality and reducing census costs.
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From page 46... ...
As pointed out by the Panel on Residence Rules in the Decennial Census, "Sustained research needs to attain a place of prominence in the Bureau's priorities. The Bureau needs to view a steady stream of research as an investment in its own infrastructure that -- in due course -- will permit more accurate counting, improve the quality of census operations, and otherwise improve its products for the country" (National Research Council, 2006:271)
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