PLANNING FOR THE CENSUS IN THE YEAR 2000

Considering the difficulties, the Census Bureau does a remarkably good job at counting people. There are two current techniques for evaluati ng or adjusting the census: (a) demographic analysis uses administrati ve records to make independent population estimates which can be compa red to census counts; (b) data from an independent sample survey can b e used to estimate population coverage. If there is a large undercount , these techniques may be accurate enough for adjustment with a small undercount it is unlikely that current adjustment methodologies can im prove on the census; instead, adjustment could easily degrade the accu racy of the data. This article reviews plans for Census 2000, includin g proposals for adjustment in the light of past experience.