Changing Census, Changing AmericaPosted in Census/Demographics, Law, Media Archive, United States on 2011-02-01 02:58Z by Steven |
Changing Census, Changing America
Southern Changes: The Journal of the Southern Regional Council
Volume 22, Number 4 (2000)
pages 24-26
Every census is different from the last, but there are some big changes in store with Census 2000. Beginning in early March 2001, the Bureau will publish census data for each state to use in redistricting. What new things can we expect from this census? To begin with, we will have access to census data more easily via computer. The Census Bureau will be posting census data on its website, www.census.gov and a separate site for the American Factfinder, www.factfinder.census.gov. More importantly, the data will be different from past censuses. I want to discuss two changes: the racial data and the sampling controversy.
Reporting One or More Races
For the first time, Census 2000 allowed respondents to identify themselves as a member of more than one race. The census asked, “What is this person’s race? Mark one or more races to indicate what this person considers himself/herself to be.” The races which the Census Bureau will report are: white; black, African American, or Negro; American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander; and, “Some other race.” (In the 1990 Census, the Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander groups were combined.)
Because the respondents were allowed to choose more than one race, there are fifty-seven possible combinations of racial groupings-ranging from people who mark two races (ten possible combinations) to people who claim all six racial categories…
Read the entire article here.