Issue
This fall, the Census Bureau published a proposed rule that would change several key components of the decennial census. The Bureau asserted that demographic questions about race, ethnicity and sexual orientation should be prohibited because the questions are sensitive, increase disclosure risk, there is a “reduced need or usefulness” for these data, and removing them would increase response rates. Although the census does not currently include a question about sexual orientation — it is unclear whether the Bureau intends to remove the response options distinguishing between same-sex and opposite-sex couples in the household relationship question, which first appeared on the 2020 Census. The proposed rule would also narrow the definition of “usual residence” to exclude noncitizen immigrants from enumeration, including those lawfully present in the U.S. without green cards.
Impact
The U.S. Constitution explicitly requires the census to count every person living in the U.S. That information is used to apportion representation in Congress and allocate federal funding, among many other applications integral to the functioning of U.S. society. The proposed changes would substantially increase the risk of census inaccuracy, which would likely affect seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, disrupt funding, and undermine the value of the decennial census as a statistical benchmark. This in turn would impact many other federal statistical programs that rely on its baseline population data, including the American Community Survey, the National Crime Victimization Survey, and the National Center for Health Statistics. In addition, it is unclear whether the Bureau intends to remove data about same-sex couples. According to the 2020 Census, there are 1.2 million cohabitating same-sex couples in the U.S. The removal of same-sex relationship response options would reintroduce previously documented inaccuracies with household relationship data, affecting how these households are counted.
Summary
Scholars urge the Bureau to reconsider its proposed changes and work toward strengthening an already robust statistical system. They discuss the census’s unique role in meeting constitutional and statutory mandates and serving as the demographic baseline for most U.S. surveys. The scholars present research to counter the Bureau’s reasoning for removing the questions, especially the need for race and ethnicity data and how widely it is used. Scholars provide extensive history and background for why same-sex couple measures were developed and how they improve accuracy for all respondents. In addition, the comment details the uncertainty, risk, and unreliability these changes would create for the upcoming 2030 Census.