TRIPLE-SYSTEM MODELING OF CENSUS, POST-ENUMERATION SURVEY, AND ADMINISTRATIVE-LIST DATA

Dual-system measurement of census coverage using a post-enumeration su rvey has been criticized for correlation bias, resulting when response s to the census and survey are not independent. A third system provide s additional information to assess that independence. This study focus es on urban Black male adults, using data from the 1988 Dress Rehearsa l Census and its Post-Enumeration Survey and from other government sou rces. Results using a variety of models confirm that their population is underestimated by dual-system methods. Problems involving classific ation and matching errors are also discussed. The result suggest that triple-system modeling has great potential for more precise estimation of the hard-to-count population and its census coverage.