Dear All,The ASA Board has issued a statement yesterday in reaction to new reporting that the end of non-response follow up for the decennial is being curtailed, not to end September 30 instead of the end of October. The text of the statement is pasted below and at https://www.amstat.org/asa/files/pdfs/POL-DecennialCensusTimeline.pdf. It is listed with other board statements at https://www.amstat.org/ASA/Science-Policy-and-Advocacy/ASA-Board-Statements.aspx.As a reminder, the Board follows its 2017 guidelines laid out in Ron Wasserstein's blog post: When should the ASA make a public statement on an issue?. The Board welcomes input from members on making public statements or otherwise taking action.
Thanks to the many of you who contacted the ASA staff and leadership on this.
Sincerely,Steve
American Statistical Association Statement on Ensuring Fair and Accurate 2020 Census
July 31, 2020
The American Statistical Association emphatically recommends allowing sufficient time for the 2020 census in order to ensure a fair and accurate count. With the decennial census being enshrined in the US Constitution and fundamental to our democracy, governance, commerce, and daily life, it is critical to give the professional career staff of the US Census Bureau the time and resources to carry out the decennial census.
In April, we issued a statement supporting a 120-day extension of the legal deadline for delivering decennial census data to the president and states in consideration of necessary adjustments due to COVID-19. Today, we reiterate our support.
New reporting indicates the Census Bureau will be forced to cut short the most vital components of the decennial census – enumerating the hard-to-count populations. If true, there is no scientific rationale to cut short the work for this constitutionally mandated activity in this way. As a membership organization of census, survey, and statistical experts, we believe that restraining the decennial field work unnecessarily threatens a fair and accurate count. As of July 31, almost 40% of households have not completed the questionnaire. The remaining households include many of the hardest to count households.
Given all the challenges facing the decennial census this year, the Census Bureau should be allowed to continue the timeline they proposed this spring.
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Steve Pierson
Director of Science Policy
American Statistical Association
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