Phil Sparks
(202) 326-8700
philsparks@ccmc.org

Click here for archives of news coverage of Census 2010, compiled from January 2009 - August 2010

The Census Project Blog

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the Census Project Blog

Welcome to the Census Project website. The Census Project is an informal network of several dozen census stakeholder organizations that are working to ensure inclusive, comprehensive and forward-thinking early planning for Census 2020. We also will encourage Congress and the Administration to provide adequate resources to meet the task. Further, we support the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), which replaced the census long form as an ongoing source of key social, economic and demographic data. This vital survey also needs adequate resources over the coming decade to maintain its accuracy and usefulness to decision makers.

Currently, because of economic, fiscal and political challenges, the FY2012 budgets for Census 2020 and the ACS were under the microscope in Congress.

The final FY 2012 funding bill cut tens of millions of dollars from the Census Bureau’s proposed budget. The Bureau is still determining how to deal with the cutbacks. Options include eliminating or slowing down final work on the tabulations for Census 2010 and stretching out planning for Census 2020. Also, it is possible that sampling for the ACS will be affected by eliminating or diluting the survey of group quarters. Overall, these are troubling signs.

At the same time, the Census Bureau has started research and testing for the 2020 enumeration. The Census Project will work to ensure that external stakeholders have a meaningful voice in this process.

The Census Project is engaging in a public education campaign to alert the public, policymakers and the media to the stakes involved in these early decisions by Congress and the Census Bureau.