Experimentation and Evaluation Plans for the 2010 Census Interim Report (2008) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 7-16
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From page 7... ...
The Census Bureau typically refers to a census "experiment" as a study involving field data collection -- typically carried out simultaneously with the decennial census itself -- in which alternatives to census processes currently in use are assessed for a subset of the population. By comparison, census "evaluations" are usually post hoc analyses of data collected as part of the decennial census process to determine whether individual steps in the census operated as expected.
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From page 8... ...
To some observers, a two-year time span between now and the fielding of the 2010 census may seem like a long time; in the context of planning an effort as complex as the decennial census, however, it is actually quite fleeting. Experimental treatments must be specified, questionnaires must be tested and approved, and systems must be developed and integrated with standard census processes -- all at the same time that the Bureau is engaged in an extensive dress rehearsal and final preparations for what has long been the federal government's largest and most complex non-military operation.
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From page 9... ...
: AREX 2000 was designed to assess the value of administrative records data in conducting an administrative records census. As a by-product, it also provided useful information as to the value of administrative records in carrying out or assisting in various applications in support of conventional decennial census processes.
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From page 10... ...
: This experiment assessed the public's attitudes regarding the census and its uses, trust and privacy issues, the Census Bureau's confidentiality practices, possible data sharing across federal agencies, and the willingness of individuals to provide their Social Security number on the decennial census questionnaire. In addition, the public's attitude toward the use of administrative records in taking the census was also assessed.
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From page 11... ...
. A second study examined shared attitudes among those individuals following the "baby boomers, i.e., those born between 1965 and 1975, about civic engagement and community involvement, government in general, and decennial census participation in particular (Crowley, 2003)
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From page 12... ...
AREX 2000 focused on the use of administrative records to serve in place of the current census enumeration, whereas examination of the use of administrative records to help with specific operations, such as for targeted improvements in the Master Address File, to assist in late nonresponse follow-up, or to assist with coverage measurement, would have been more useful. The response mode and incentive experiment examined the use of incentives to increase use of the Internet as a mode of response, but they did not examine other ways to potentially facilitate and improve Internet usage.
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From page 13... ...
Following a series of decisions not to adjust the counts from the 2000 census for estimated coverage errors, the Census Bureau also established the basic precept that the 2010 census coverage measurement program would be used primarily to support a feedback loop of census improvement rather than for census adjustment. As the 2010 census plan has developed, major differences between the 2010 plan and its 2000 predecessor -- in addition to the broad changes already described -- include: • The use of handheld computers by field enumerators has been focused on three major operations: updating the Master Address File during the address canvassing procedure, conducting nonresponse follow-up interviewing, and implementing a new coverage follow-up (CFU)
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From page 14... ...
As the major input to the panel's first meeting and our work to date, the Census Bureau provided a list of 52 issues, reprinted as Appendix A, corresponding to component processes of the 2010 census design that were viewed either as potentially capable of improvement or of sufficient concern to warrant a careful assessment of their performance in 2010. The list, divided into the following 11 categories, was provided to us as the set of issues that the Census Bureau judged as possibly benefiting from either experimentation in 2010 or evaluation after the 2010 census has concluded: 1.
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From page 15... ...
Chapter 2 provides initial views on the 2010 census experiments. There is a first section on a general approach to the selection of census experiments, which is followed by the panel's recommended priorities for topics for experimentation in 2010.
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From page 16... ...
a Described as partial match because the CPEX proposals under automation are oriented principally at one component (handheld computers)
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