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Small Populations, Large Effects Improving the Measurement of the Group Quarters Population in the American Community Survey (2012) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
Pages 11-18

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From page 11...
... . When the Census Bureau began to actively pursue the possibility of implementing a continuous measurement approach, the goal was to make the same data that were collected on the census "long form" available on a more timely basis than what was possible through a decennial data collec tion, at the same time reducing the burden imposed on the census enumeration by the fielding of the long form.
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From page 12...
... Although long-form sample sizes have varied in recent censuses, the last time the long form was administered (as part of the 2000 census) , the sample included approximately 18 million housing units, and the data collection resulted in 16.4 million completed questionnaires (National Research Council, 2007)
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From page 13...
... . The GQ data collection has always been more challenging than the housing unit data collection, even in the decennial census, and some of these challenges are the natural consequence of the more complex living arrangements associ ated with residence in GQ facilities.
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From page 14...
... However, as a secondary consequence, errors in the GQ estimates can often profoundly affect the estimates and population characteristics of the total population as well. For a variety of reasons, which are described in detail in subsequent sections, the design of the ACS and the data collection, weighting, and estimation procedures pertaining to GQ residents are not optimized for small-area estimates.
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From page 15...
... The annual sampling rate for the GQ population varies by state, but in most states it is approximately 2.5 percent of the expected number of GQ residents. Currently, a stratified sample of group quarters is selected for each state, without controlling for the allocation of GQ populations at substate levels of geography, such as counties, municipalities, tracts, and block groups (unlike the 2000 census long-form sample, which was generally controlled to census counts at subcounty levels of geography)
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From page 16...
... The panel was not asked to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the inclusion of the GQ population in the ACS, although the panel conducted its deliberations being mindful of the costs associated with the GQ data collection, as well as of the costs of pos sible alternatives that would involve a major reconceptualization of the survey's design. In response to this charge, the panel appointed by the National Research Council undertook a range of activities over the course of approximately 2
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From page 17...
... In light of user needs and considerations of operational feasibility and compatibility with the treatment of the household population in the ACS, the panel will recommend alternatives to the current sample design, weighting procedures, and other methodological features that can make the ACS GQ data more useful for small-area data users, particularly users of ACS 5-year period estimates for small governmental jurisdictions, census tracts, and block groups. The panel will issue an interim report at the end of the first year of the study with recommenda tions for near-term improvements in the sample design and weighting of group quarters in the ACS and a final report at the conclusion of a 24-month study with findings and recommendations for longer term improvements to the measurement of the GQ population.
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From page 18...
... Panel members discussed data collection strategies with other researchers, including staff from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Health Statistics. OVERVIEW OF THE REPORT At the request of the Census Bureau, the panel prepared an interim report, which focused on recommendations for near-term improvements in the sample design, weighting, and estimation of the GQ population (National Research Council, 2010)
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Key Terms

  • acs data
  • housing units
  • data users
  • data user
  • decennial census

  • data release
  • population estimates
  • acs sample
  • sampling frame
  • data quality

  • data products
  • acs estimates
  • initial acs
  • housing unit
  • sample design

  • period estimates
  • population characteristics
  • release schedule
  • correctional facilities
  • state level

  • completed interviews
  • estimates program
  • nursing facilities
  • decennial data
  • acs housing

  • promises data
  • evaluate data
  • public data
  • data collec
  • discussed data


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