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Census 2000 - The Scary, The Weird, The Sad (Long Post)

by Chuck Purvis (MTC)

Here's a very interesting "Sunday supplement" Census 2000 story from the 6/18/00 Philadelphia Inquirer. Chuck P. ************************************************************* Census takers encounter the scary - and the weird INQUIRER STAFF WRITER By Thomas Ginsberg Knock on one stranger's door and perhaps get a cordial greeting. Knock on 42 million doors, as U.S. census workers have done this summer, and bank on being berated, embraced, bitten, doused and flashed. A census taker in Detroit walked into a police drug raid - and kept counting. A census taker crashed through the floorboards of a rural Texas porch but got her interview while waiting for an ambulance. Census takers have used snowshoes to comb the Rockies and helicopters to descend into the Grand Canyon. Last weekend, one census taker was mauled to death by dogs in Indiana. Scary and funny, tragic and heroic, the stories of the nation's nearly half-million census takers are now piling up in the homestretch of the 2000 Census. Three weeks are left before the end of the operation's most labor-intensive phase in which the enumerators, as census takers are officially known, have gone door-to-door to query people who failed to return the questionnaires this spring. Enumerators have had run-ins with the happy, sad and naked among us. Their encounters have served as a kind of mini-census, revealing a quirky blend of distrust and openness around the country, amid a U.S. government mobilization bigger in numbers than the invasion of Normandy. "In rural West Virginia, some of the folks come out with shotguns," said Julia Ho, a regional spokeswoman. "Enumerators really have to depend on their wits." Sixteen census workers have died on the job. But enumerators also have saved lives. Along the way they have crashed into wild turkeys, set off prison alarms, rescued people from elevators, counted at least one self-described space traveler, and confronted dogs. A lot of dogs. On June 10, Dorothy Stewart, a 71-year-old enumerator, was fatally attacked by a pack of dogs in front of a house in Nashville, Ind. She became the first census taker to die this year while at a respondent's home. Six other census workers - not all enumerators - have died in car accidents, and nine died of heart attacks or strokes. Many census takers have been injured or attacked. It's not yet clear whether the fatality rate is higher than in years past. "We have sent out the strongest signal we can that our first concern is safety," said Kenneth Prewitt, the Census Bureau director. Dog bites are the primary injury every decade, and the Census Bureau has recorded at least 200 this year. Last month in Southern California, enumerator Kenneth P. Kasoni approached a house with a large, barking canine in the yard. He left, then returned with a dog bone on a day that happened to be the beast's birthday, said a regional spokeswoman, Lynn Uyeda. So impressed was the owner that he happily answered all the questions, and the Census Bureau reimbursed Kasoni $2.15 for one "five-inch dog bone." Census officials acknowledge that public antagonism and distrust have made the door-to-door work more dicey. These are, after all, just temporary workers who earn between $9.25 and $18 an hour, depending on the area. Take the enumerator in rural Texas, Socorro Meza, who had a resistant resident on her route. Meza said she visited the house three times and saw a person peek from behind curtains but never open the door. On her fourth attempt, Meza took an unlucky step and crashed through the porch floor, bruising herself badly. While a neighbor helped lift Meza out, the resident arrived home, apologized profusely, and promptly answered Meza's questions - while the enumerator waited for an ambulance. "I've been to your home four times to attempt an interview," Meza recalled telling the resident, "and now I'm going to get it from you!" In Kansas, regional officials said one resister chased away a census taker by drenching him and his papers with a garden hose. The enumerator returned wearing a rain slicker and brandishing an umbrella. The bemused resident gave up and answered his questions. One reason given for not answering the questionnaire already is becoming legend among census workers. In Salt Lake City, an enumerator knocked on a door and dutifully asked the man who answered how many people lived there on April 1, the official census date. "The guy says, 'I wasn't here, I was on another planet,' " recalled Anjali Olgeirson, a Denver regional spokeswoman. "So the enumerator says, 'Well, we still need to record you here at this address.' And he did." Getting to the front door is half the battle. In Wyoming and upstate New York this spring, census takers not only had to use snowshoes, they had to learn just the right kind of shoe for the snow conditions, said Donna Gindes, a regional spokeswoman in Boston. In Arizona, counting the Havasupai tribe meant getting to the bottom of the Grand Canyon first. Census workers rode a helicopter down, but then the chopper couldn't retrieve them. So they hiked and rode horses back up, carrying their census papers the whole way, said Olgeirson, a Denver spokeswoman. "The mail doesn't work so well there," she said. People answering their doors in the nude is so common that enumerators almost yawn at the question. There were women dressed only in socks and one naked man holding a dog leash. It is almost summer, after all, and it takes more than nudity to ruffle an enumerator. "We had one lady answering in the nude, she just stood there, didn't bat an eye," said the Detroit spokeswoman. "Well, what's an enumerator to do? He counted her." Enumerators have had their brushes with the law. In Detroit recently, a female enumerator was invited to a barbecue being thrown by a bunch of men and found herself the center of attention. Suddenly, police arrived next door and conducted what turned out to be a drug raid, causing the men around her to run for cover. "She just stood there, she wasn't fazed," Ho said. "She took care of her work and left." In Wyoming, enumerator Ed Clark got his own taste of modern justice. In March he was assigned to arrange the counting of inmates at a new prison in Rawlins. After driving through a snowstorm, he said he arrived to find an empty guard house. He walked past - and suddenly was berated by a voice over a loudspeaker: "Who goes there?" "I don't know that I actually broke in, but it sure seemed that way," Clark said. After dropping off census forms, Clark got yelled at again. "They said, 'Close the damn door!' " Some enumerators go way beyond the call of duty. Laura Iman, 29, a crew leader from northern Louisiana, was nine months pregnant when her 10 enumerators began their work in May. Between contractions, with an epidural drug softening her pain, she made phone calls to check on their work, and the next day, welcomed them into her room - not to count her first baby, Koby, but so she could sign their completed forms. "They told me I was crazy, that I didn't have to do this," Iman said. "But I'm not the type of person to slow down anyway." In rural Virginia, a crew leader noticed a man slumped at the wheel of his car and stopped, called 911, then waited for the ambulance to arrive and save the driver from what turned out to be a heart attack, said Jerry Stahl, a regional spokesman. Last month in Toledo, Ohio, enumerator Phillip Cunningham was making his rounds in a residential neighborhood when he noticed a girl running between parked cars into the street as a car approached, recalled a regional official, Lynne Hebner. "A bunch of neighbors were gabbing on a front porch and weren't paying attention," Hebner said. "He yelled at her to stop and literally saved her life by inches. The car slammed on its brakes and just missed her." Who said the census is just about numbers? "The neighbors were thrilled with this man," Hebner said. "He was in the the right place at the right time." ******************************************************************* ******************************************************* e-mail: cpurvis(a)mtc.ca.gov Chuck Purvis, AICP Senior Transportation Planner/Analyst, Planning Section Metropolitan Transportation Commission 101 Eighth Street, Oakland, CA 94607-4700 (510) 464-7731 (voice) (510) 464-7848 (fax) WWW: http://www.mtc.ca.gov/ MTC DataMart: http://www.mtc.ca.gov/datamart/ MTC FTP Site: ftp://ftp.abag.ca.gov/pub/mtc/planning/ *******************************************************

24 years, 6 months

Attention TAZ Verify Participants

by Srinivasan, Nanda <FHWA>

The Census Bureau, Geography division has noticed that a few participants have submitted new equivalency files, even though they had no/very few changes to the TAZ layer in TIGER. Please note that: 1. If you have no changes to the TAZ layer, you only need to e-mail Valerie Murdock (vmurdock(a)geo.census.gov) and Carrie Saunders (csaunders(a)geo.census.gov) at the Census Bureau informing them that you have no changes. 2. If only a few TAZs (eg: fewer than 20 TAZs) need changes, you can submit sketch maps with supporting documentation to your regional Census Bureau liason. For a list of Census Bureau regional office contacts, please see the attached pdf file. 3. If a substantial number (eg: more than 20 TAZs) need changes, you will need to upload the new equivalency file through the Census Bureau website at: http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/taz/sendfile If you submitted an equivalency file, but have fewer than 20 TAZs than need changes, please call Carrie Saunders at 301-457-1099 (e:mail csaunders(a)geo.census.gov") If you have any questions, please call me at (202) 366-5021 (e:mail ctpp(a)fhwa.dot.gov) Thank You Nanda Srinivasan

24 years, 6 months

Attention: TAZ Verification Participants.

by Srinivasan, Nanda <FHWA>

The deadline for TAZ verification was June 15 for agencies in the thirty states listed below. If you are a participating agency and have not yet responded, we will assume that you have no changes to the TAZ layer in the TIGER database. If you have any questions/clarifications, please contact Nanda Srinivasan by replying to this e-mail or by calling 202-366-5021. 1. Alabama 2. Alaska 3. Arizona 4. California 5. Colorado 6. Connecticut 7. District of Columbia 8. Georgia 9. Idaho 10. Illinois 11. Kentucky 12. Maine 13. Massachusetts 14. Michigan 15. Minnesota 16. Missouri 17. New Hampshire 18. New Mexico 19. New York 20. North Carolina 21. Ohio 22. Oregon 23. Rhode Island 24. South Carolina 25. Tennessee 26. Utah 27. Vermont 28. Virginia 29. West Virginia 30. Wyoming Thank You! Nanda Srinivasan

24 years, 6 months

Census 2000 Initiative News Alert

by Ed Christopher

From: Census2000(a)ccmc.org Proposed Rule Would Delegate Adjustment Decision To Census Bureau Director Plus: Census Director Proclaims 2000 "The Good Census"; House Committee Allocates FY01 Funds for Census Bureau; Telephone Assistance Extended Through June The U.S. Department of Commerce has issued a proposed rule that would give the Census Bureau Director sole authority to decide whether to release statistically corrected census numbers for purposes other than congressional apportionment. Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt, with two former census directors at his side, announced the action at a June 14th press conference in Washington, DC. Under the proposed rule, the census director would make "the final determination" on adjusting the census figures. The decision "shall not be subject to review, reconsideration, or reversal by the Secretary of Commerce." The notice of the proposed action, published in the Federal Register, discusses the justification for the delegation of authority. The decision, the notice says, "turns entirely on operational and methodological implementation within the expertise of the Bureau of the Census." Review by the Commerce Secretary would "create the appearance" that "non-scientific considerations" played a role in the adjustment decision, according to the background statement. The transfer of authority would "safeguard both the substance and public credibility of the decision making process." The proposed rule would create a committee of "distinguished senior career [Census Bureau] professionals" to review the operational and technical aspects of the procedures for measuring census accuracy and correcting under- and overcounts in the first set of population numbers. The Executive Steering Committee for A.C.E. Policy (ESCAP) will then issue a written report recommending whether the director should release statistically adjusted data. The Census Act requires the Bureau to transmit block-level population data to the states by April 1, 2001, for use in the redistricting process. The rule sets forth the twelve members of the steering committee by position; the ESCAP report would be made public at the same time it is sent to the director. "A.C.E." is the Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation program, which includes a quality-check survey of 314,000 households. At the press conference, former Census Bureau directors Barbara Bryant and Martha ("Marty") Riche said they support delegating the adjustment decision to the Bureau chief. Dr. Bryant, who led the agency during the 1990 census for the Bush Administration, noted that significant reform of the census process began in 1991. Despite the move to paid advertising and efforts to simplify the questionnaires, it is "not possible to count everybody" without the use of sampling, she said. Dr. Riche, appointed by President Clinton to head the Bureau in 1994, said partnerships with community groups and local officials were a key improvement for Census 2000. Still, she said, a household-based census is "simply bound to fall short." On Monday, Dr. Prewitt sent former Commerce Secretary William Daley a report prepared by the Bureau's senior staff on the feasibility of using statistical methods to account for people missed or counted twice in Census 2000. The report, entitled "Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation: Statement on the Feasibility of Using Statistical Methods to Improve the Accuracy of Census 2000," sets forth the rationale for the "preliminary determination" that the Bureau can produce statistically corrected census numbers within the legal time frame and that the corrected data "will be more accurate." In his June 13th response adopting the report's conclusions, Secretary Daley said, "We owe it to the American people to use all of the tools at our disposal to make the census as accurate as possible." The choice, he said, is whether to use statistical methods to improve census accuracy, or "whether we do nothing." The differential undercount of racial minorities cannot be eliminated without using these methods, the Secretary concluded. The rule making document also notes that in 1980, the Commerce Secretary formally delegated a similar decision on whether to use sampling methods to correct the census undercount to the Census Bureau director. That delegation of authority was rescinded before the 1990 census, when controversy over an adjustment led to a lawsuit by the City of New York and dozens of other localities. In 1991, Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher decided not to adjust the 1990 census counts, despite a recommendation to do so by census director Barbara Bryant. The rule (in current or modified form) will take effect after a 45-day public comment period. Comments should be sent to: John H. Thompson, Associate Director for Decennial Census, Bureau of the Census, Suitland Federal Center, Suitland and Silver Hill Roads, Building 2, Room 3586, Suitland, MD 20233. The proposed rule, the Census Bureau's feasibility statement, and other relevant documents are available on the Bureau's Web site at <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/presskit.html>. Census operations update: The Census Bureau has completed 98 percent of its door-to-door visits to unresponsive households, Dr. Prewitt announced at the June 14 press conference. The Denver census region, covering ten states, as well as Puerto Rico, have reached the 100 percent completion rate, the director said. The Los Angeles census region is on the verge of reaching that milestone, as well. Census takers are continuing their efforts to count the remaining 908,000 households that did not respond by mail. As of June 13, the Bureau had counted or declared vacant 99 percent of the housing units included in the mail out/mail back and follow-up phases of Census 2000. Census operations continued at a faster pace than in 1990. In the last census, only 60 percent of the overall workload was finished by June 1, compared to 82 percent by the same date this year. Other highlights of Dr. Prewitt's Census 2000 status report were: * 117 million census forms had been scanned, and the accuracy rate for scanning was the same both for forms returned by mail and those completed by an enumerator. * Census workers completed telephone interviews with 90,000 households in the Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation (A.C.E.) sample. At a June 8th press briefing, Dr. Prewitt told reporters there was "no bad news to report" about Census 2000 operations. He characterized the nation's 22nd decennial count as "the good census" and cited the "enthusiasm, commitment, and dedication" of census workers as a primary reason for the operational success. The director also said an "echo effect" from the marketing program helped keep Census 2000 operations on schedule and well ahead of the 1990 pace for similar activities. "We underestimated," he said, "the lingering effect of the advertising campaign and partnership program." The director expanded on his characterization of Census 2000 at the June 14 press conference. A "good census," he said, meets three criteria. It is "operationally robust and successful; open, transparent, and earns the public trust; and dedicated to being fully inclusive." NRFU visits are scheduled to end on July 7. Census workers have started follow-up telephone calls (called Coverage Edit operations) to approximately 2.2 million households that listed six or more residents (questionnaires were designed to collect information for up to six people, with space provided to list additional residents) or that reported information for only some of the people listed as residents. Clean-up operations (called Coverage Improvement Programs), which include rechecking housing units designated as vacant or nonexistent in earlier visits, will be conducted on a flow basis from early July into August. During this operation, census enumerators also will visit addresses submitted by local governments since last fall as part of the "New Construction" phase of the Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) program. The Bureau will start in-person interviews with households in the quality-check A.C.E. survey on June 19, in neighborhoods where NRFU operations are complete. Despite his upbeat assessment, Dr. Prewitt noted several problems that he said the Bureau had moved quickly to alleviate. The Census Bureau added enumerators, authorized overtime payments, and created narrowly targeted Public Service Announcements in English and Spanish to help boost response rates in the "small number" of Local Census Office areas where completion rates are lagging. The director has visited several cities in recent weeks, including Chicago, Baltimore, Columbus (OH), and Milwaukee, to convey the message that, "It's not too late to be counted." During last week's Census 2000 briefing, the director also warned that census workers trying to finish their workload still encounter "real resistance," some of which he described as "organized." He displayed a sign taped to the doors of some unresponsive households, bearing the message, "Census Workers Are Not Welcome Here. Do Not Knock." The printed sign provides space to list the gender and age of up to six residents, and concludes by saying, "This is all you need to know and are entitled to ask. Have a nice day." A logo and Web address for "The Heartland Institute" (www.heartland.org <http://www.heartland.org>) is printed at the bottom. In a written statement issued on June 8, the Institute's president and CEO, Joseph Bast, said his organization "does not advise anyone to violate the law," but that the questions asked in the census "[go] far beyond any reasonable interpretation of the 'Enumeration' authorized by the Constitution." The statement described the Institute as an "independent, nonprofit research organization" in Chicago that addresses issues such as school reform, environmental regulation, and tax policy. Mr. Bast said "many political leaders, including Texas Gov. George W. Bush, Sen. Chuck Hagel, and Rep. Tom Coburn have stated publicly that people should not answer Census questions they believe invade their privacy." The poster, which Mr. Bast said appeared on the back of the Institute's monthly newspaper sent to 45,000 people, also bears a small-print "warning" about penalties for not answering census questions. Telephone help lines to remain open longer: The Census Bureau has decided to keep its toll-free telephone assistance lines (TQA) open until June 30, about three weeks past the original shut-down date of June 8. TQA operators will continue to accept census responses over the phone in the six languages in which questionnaires are printed (English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese) from people who did not mail back a form and have not been visited by a census taker, or people who believe they were left off the questionnaire completed for their residence. People who provide their answers over the telephone might still receive a visit from a census enumerator, if the address is included on the list for nonresponse follow-up. The Census Bureau will rely on local governments and complete count committees in areas where response is lagging to promote the continued availability of the telephone response option. Census Bureau funding for fiscal year 2001: On June 14, the House Committee on Appropriations approved the Fiscal Year 2001 Commerce, Justice, and State, The Judiciary and Related Agencies funding bill. The panel allocated a total of $670,867,000 for Census Bureau programs, about $48.3 million less than the Administration had requested. The Census Bureau is an agency of the Commerce Department. Aside from Census 2000, Census Bureau programs did not receive requested funding increases over current year levels. The committee allocated $392.9 million for the decennial census, just shy of the Administration's request. In fiscal year 2001 (FY01), which begins October 1, 2000, the Census Bureau must finish 2000 census operations, including the Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation program to measure and adjust for undercounts and overcounts in the initial set of population numbers. It also must shut down local census offices and data processing centers, and begin tabulating and publishing data collected in the census. The bill specifies how decennial census funds should be spent, listing nine broad categories such as field data collection, marketing, data processing, and testing and evaluation. The Census 2000 appropriation includes $3.5 million for the eight-member Census Monitoring Board. The panel allocated $20 million to continue development of the American Community Survey (ACS), the same amount appropriated for the current year and $5 million below the President's request. The ACS would collect demographic and socio-economic data from a rolling sample of households throughout the decade, with 3 million housing units surveyed each year. The survey is designed to replace the traditional census 'long form' in 2010 and beyond. The Census Bureau is testing the ACS in 31 sites around the country. Funding for the decennial census and the ACS is part of the Periodic Censuses and Programs ("Periodics") account, one of two main funding categories for the Census Bureau. The Periodics account covers activities that support census operations, such as mapping, as well as other mandated censuses of business establishments and local governments. The House committee allocated a total of $530,867,000 for the Periodics account, about $14.5 million below the request. The Census Bureau's second main funding category is Salaries and Expenses ("S&E), which covers ongoing surveys (such as the Current Population Survey) to collect important demographic, economic, and social statistics. The committee allocated $140 million for the S&E account, the same amount appropriated in fiscal year 2000 and $33.8 million below the Administration's request. The full House may take up the Commerce spending bill before the July 4th recess starts on June 30. The bill is one of thirteen regular appropriations bills that fund activities of the federal government. Questions about the information contained in this News Alert may be directed to TerriAnn Lowenthal at 202/484-2270 or, by e-mail at terriann2k(a)aol.com. For copies of previous News Alerts and other information, use our web site www.census2000.org <http://www.census2000.org>. Please direct all requests to receive News Alerts, and all changes in address/phone/fax/e-mail, to the Census 2000 Initiative at Census2000(a)ccmc.org or 202/326-8700. Please feel free to circulate this information to colleagues and other interested individuals.

24 years, 6 months

Attention TAZ-UP participants

by Srinivasan, Nanda <FHWA>

The correct website for uploading TAZ equivalence files is: http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/taz/sendfile The "Reminders and Frequently Asked Questions" on the CTPP Website has an incorrect website. I will update the website as soon as I can. I apologize for not noting the error. I will also put the list of agencies who have responded or completed verification on the CTPP website by June 24, 2000 and update it periodically. Thank You! Nanda Srinivasan

24 years, 6 months

RE: [CTPP] Attention: TAZ Verification Participants

by Nwoko, Felix

What is the schedule for releasing the final CTPP 2000? Thanks Felix -----Original Message----- From: Srinivasan, Nanda <FHWA> [mailto:Nanda.Srinivasan@fhwa.dot.gov] Sent: Friday, June 02, 2000 4:35 AM To: ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net Subject: [CTPP] Attention: TAZ Verification Participants The last batch of TAZ verification materials have been mailed to agencies in the states listed below. If you are a participating agency in one of the states listed below and DO NOT receive your materials by June 12, 2000, please call Nanda Srinivasan at (202) 366-5021. (Email: ctpp(a)fhwa.dot.gov). 1. Louisiana 2. Texas 3. Oklahoma The deadline for submittals to the Census Bureau for counties in these states is July 14, 2000. By June 12, all participating agencies should have TAZ Verification materials for all the counties they submitted TAZ files in Fall 99. If you are missing TIGER/Line for any county, please let me know by calling 202-366-5021 or by replying to this e-mail. Thank You! Nanda Srinivasan

24 years, 6 months

Attention TAZ-UP Participants

by Srinivasan, Nanda <FHWA>

The Census Bureau, Geography Division noticed that some of the participants have been posting files to a wrong ftp site. We created a specific ftp site for the TAZ Verification program. This website is: http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/taz/sendfile If you have already posted your equivalence files to another website, please reload your files to the correct website. Please note that if you post your file to any other Census Bureau website, we wont be able to access the file or have a record for your submission. The following section documents the Census Bureau guidelines (page 10 of the Census Bureau TAZ Verification guidelines) for your reference. *********************************************************************** V. Instructions for Submitting Verification Changes If the TAZ boundaries displayed in the Verification TIGER/Line file are accurate and require corrections to few TAZs (less than 20 as a guideline), participants do not have to submit a new polygon equivalency file. In these cases, the participant can choose to submit a sketch map showing corrections. Using 20 as a guideline, evaluate how many TAZs require correction. If corrections are required for many TAZs (more than 20 as a guideline), the Census Bureau request that changes be submitted in a polygon equivalency file. This file will be just like the original TAZ submittal; it must include a record for each polygon in the TIGER/Line file and must be a comma delimited, ASCII text file. Participants are required to inform the Census Bureau (via e-mail) if no changes are required to their TAZ plan, if verification maps are being sent to the RCC, or if an equivalency file(s) will be sent to the Census Bureau. Please include the following staff on your notification e-mail message: Valerie Murdock: vmurdock(a)geo.census.gov Carrie Saunders: csaunders(a)geo.census.gov Jamie Rosenson: jrosenson(a)geo.census.gov Nanda Srinivasan: Nanda.Srinivasan(a)fhwa.dot.gov TAZ contact at the responsible RCC (See TAZ RCC contact information for e-mail address) A. To submit a TAZ polygon equivalency file to the Census Bureau log on to: http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/taz/sendfile B. At the Send a File Utility page, type in your e-mail address as a password. C. Enter the required information under Contact Information: * Your name * Telephone number * Agency name * Your e-mail address D. All TAZ verification files will be automatically directed to the following Census Bureau directory. The name of the directory is: /pub/incoming/geo/TAZef E. Identify the files you want to transmit to the Census Bureau, by clicking on the Browse button. Navigate to the directory wherethe files are stored and select the name of the files(s) so they appear in the File to Send boxes. You will have the ability to transmit up to six polygon equivalency files at one time. The Census 2000 TAZ polygon equivalency file name must be shown with *tgr* as the prefix followed by the 5 digit state and county codes, ending with the extension *.tav*. For example, *tgr17031.tav*. Please note, the file name is case-sensitive. F. After you have entered the file name(s), click on the Upload button to transmit your files to the Census Bureau. You will receive confirmation by e-mail that the file transfer was successful. If you have difficulty transmitting files or do not receive a confirmation e-mail, please contact Valerie Murdock or Carrie Saunders on (301) 457-1099. ************************************************************************* Thank You! Nanda Srinivasan (202) 366-5021

24 years, 6 months

RE: [CTPP] census 2000 News Alert

by Nwoko, Felix

Does anyone know the schedule for releasing CTPP 2000? Thanks Felix -----Original Message----- From: ed christopher [mailto:berwyned@mcs.com] Sent: Tuesday, June 06, 2000 10:41 PM To: ctpp-news maillist Cc: carole zok; brenda.brown(a)bts.gov Subject: [CTPP] census 2000 News Alert From: Census2000 <Census2000(a)ccmc.org> Sampling Controversy Resurfaces in Congress As Census Director Stands By Plan to Adjust Counts Plus: New Jersey Assembly Approves Anti-Sampling Bill; Legislation Introduced for Count of Overseas Americans; and more. The controversy over the use of statistical sampling to adjust the initial census counts reemerged at a congressional hearing last month, as the Census Bureau began its quality check survey to measure undercounts and overcounts in Census 2000. At a hearing of the House Subcommittee on the Census on May 19, Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt described the agency's plans for the Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation survey (A.C.E.) of 314,000 housing units nationwide. Telephone interviews with households in the A.C.E. sample that had returned a completed census form by mail began in late April. By May 19, the Bureau had completed 60,000 interviews by phone, more than its projected 10 percent completion rate for that point in the process. Census takers will start in-person interviews with A.C.E. households on June 19 in areas where census takers have finished all non-response follow-up visits. Subcommittee Chairman Dan Miller (R-FL) reiterated his long-standing opposition to the Census Bureau's plan to produce adjusted population numbers based on the A.C.E. results for purposes other than congressional apportionment. "[T]here is no guarantee that this plan is even viable," the chairman said. The Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 in January 1999 that federal law prohibits sampling to compile the state population totals used to allocate the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states. However, the Census Bureau plans to transmit adjusted census figures to the states early next year for use in the redistricting process. A provision of the Bureau's fiscal year 1998 funding bill also requires the agency to make available census counts down to the block level that are not adjusted based on the quality-check survey. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), the panel's senior Democratic member, said the 2000 census "may well be the best, fairest and most accurate census ever," not only because of operational successes so far but because "it incorporates modern scientific methods into its design." The 1990 census, she noted, had a 10 percent error rate, including who are missed, counted twice, or counted in the wrong location. "The closer the Census Bureau has gotten to developing a way to fix those errors, the harder the opponents of a modern census have worked to stop them," Rep. Maloney said, referring to the disproportionate undercount of racial minorities and the poor in urban and rural communities. Rep. Miller said Republicans question the constitutionality, legality, and feasibility of a census plan that incorporates sampling and statistical estimation techniques. He called the decision to issue two sets of census counts "a political move, clearly against the best interest of the Nation" by the Clinton/Gore Administration. Pointing to last year's Supreme Court decision, he cautioned that supporters of the plan "have yet to win a court case." "Census estimation," the chairman said, "is not a system that lends itself to trust and integrity." Rep. Miller described statistical estimation as existing "only in a virtual world," where people are added to or subtracted from the counts without verification. This means, he said, that some people who have filled out and returned a census form "will be counted as less than a whole person." Rep. Miller also criticized an element of the Bureau's statistical methodology that he said assumes people of the same race or ethnicity "act alike and have the same tendencies," by assigning them to one of nearly 450 demographic groupings (called 'post-strata') for the purpose of measuring the under- and overcount. The chairman asked the director for "assurances... that [the adjusted] numbers will be fully scrutinized by the Bureau and the scientific community, at large, prior to their release for public use." Countering the chairman's criticism of the sampling methodology, Dr. Prewitt said the A.C.E. survey was no more difficult than other large Census 2000 operations. He called the census "an estimation of the truth" and said its accuracy should be measured by how close the results are to the nation's true population. The director noted that census data are "unstable" for very small areas (such as census blocks) regardless of whether the figures are adjusted using statistical methods or not. Adjusted census numbers are "unquestionably" more accurate at the block level, Dr. Prewitt said in response to a question from Rep. Miller, than numbers produced from direct counting methods alone. He also defended the use of demographic 'post-strata' to estimate under- and overcounts, saying the groupings were based on scientific knowledge about people with similar probabilities of being missed or double-counted in the census. A panel of experts convened by the National Academy of Sciences (the Panel to Review the 2000 Census, chaired by former Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Janet L. Norwood) is independently reviewing the A.C.E. statistical methods and operations. Dr. Prewitt emphasized that while the Bureau has decided to conduct the A.C.E. according to a technically sound design, it cannot determine in advance whether the direct count or the statistically adjusted numbers are more accurate. "If the Census Bureau does not have confidence in the A.C.E. results, we will not use it," the director told subcommittee members. The Census Bureau director, not the Secretary of Commerce, he said, should make the adjustment decision. The director also vigorously challenged the assertion that statistical estimation could invite tampering with the numbers to achieve partisan advantage. He said the Census Bureau is "not competent" to design and implement an estimation plan that produces a partisan outcome. "Where is the evidence?" he asked, that the Bureau has a partisan agenda. Dr. Prewitt said it is "inconceivable" that the Census Bureau would know how statistical adjustments would affect the drawing of political district lines by 50 state legislatures. Other legislative news: Rep. Carolyn Maloney introduced legislation to provide funds for the Census Bureau to begin planning a census of American citizens living abroad in 2003. H.R. 4568 would authorize $5 million for planning a Census of Americans Abroad. Rep. Maloney introduced a bill (H.R. 3649) last year to require an interim count of Americans overseas in 2003 and planning to include this population in the 2010 census. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) sponsored a similar bill (S. 1715) in 1999, which was referred to the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. Census 2000 will include active members of the U.S. armed forces, civilian government employees, and their dependents, who are stationed or living overseas on Census Day (April 1, 2000), in the state population totals transmitted to the President for the purpose of congressional apportionment. These personnel and their family members are counted at their 'home of record,' the state in which they lived at the start of the their military or federal service. In a letter to Reps. Harold Rogers (R-KY) and Jose Serrano (D-NY), chairman and ranking minority member, respectively, of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State and The Judiciary, Rep. Maloney said the estimated three to six million American citizens living abroad "make enormous contributions to our economy" and "vote, pay taxes, and enjoy the same constitutional protections" as other Americans. She urged the subcommittee to include funds for planning an interim count in the Census Bureau's fiscal year 2001 appropriations bill. Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE) introduced a bill last month (H.R. 4458) that would limit the questions asked in future censuses to those included on the Census 2000 short form. The measure was referred to the House Committee on Government Reform. Update on Census 2000 operations: The Census Bureau announced last week that it has counted, either by mail or through a personal visit, about 92 percent of the nation's 118 million housing units. Director Ken Prewitt said gathering information from the remaining eight percent of American households posed the greatest challenge for the approximately 450,000 census enumerators working to complete 'nonresponse follow-up' operations by July 7. State legislative activities update: The New Jersey State Assembly yesterday approved a bill to require the use of unadjusted census numbers for redistricting purposes. The measure passed the Republican-controlled chamber on a party line vote of 42-34. On May 22, the State Government Committee approved A. 1682, sponsored by Assemblyman Michael Carroll (R), by a 3 - 2 vote along party lines. Assembly Speaker Jack Collins (R) initially scheduled a vote on the measure for May 25, but agreed to postpone action temporarily after Minority Leader Joseph Dorio Jr. (D) said legislators and the public needed more time to consider the bill's consequences. Last week, however, the Speaker announced that the Assembly would take up the bill on June 5. The State Senate has not yet considered the measure. Questions about the information contained in this News Alert may be directed to TerriAnn Lowenthal at 202/484-2270 or, by e-mail at <terriann2k(a)aol.com>. For copies of previous News Alerts and other information, use our web site www.census2000.org. Please direct all requests to receive News Alerts, and all changes in address/phone/fax/e-mail, to the Census 2000 Initiative at <Census2000(a)ccmc.org> or 202/326-8700. Please feel free to circulate this information to colleagues and other interested individuals.

24 years, 6 months

Collection of Household Travel Surveys

by Peter Stopher

I am interested in collecting together as many recent household travel surveys from around the U.S. as possible, to use in comparative research and also to assist in a NCHRP project on standardization of household travel surveys. If any members of the list have a recent (not more than ten years old) data set that they are willing to share, please let me know how I can obtain a copy . In obtaining copies, it would be most useful if I can obtain the following: 1. A copy of the survey instrument(s) 2. A copy of the data files, preferably in SPSS with variable names and variable labels, or in a data base or other format 3. A copy of any final report or other documentation that describes how the data were collected, what sampling scheme was used, and what, if any, data clean up and manipulation has been done. If data have been geocoded, it would be most helpful if network times and/or distances were included on any trip files. I do not need address information from the raw data, although TAZs, zipcodes, or other broad geographic locators would be helpful. Thanks. Peter Stopher * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Peter R. Stopher, Ph.D. Louisiana Land & Exploration Co. Professor Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA 70803-6405 Phone: 225-388-8898 Fax: 225-388-8652 e-mail: stopher(a)attglobal.net PlanTrans, LLP 3533 Granada Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70810-1142 Phone: 225-767-7843 Fax: 225-767-7861 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

24 years, 6 months

Research Associate Position Announcement

by Peter Stopher

Please make any potential candidates for the enclosed position aware of this opportunity. Thanks, Peter Stopher Research Opportunities Institute of Transport Studies The University of Sydney The Institute is building up its transport planning capability and is seeking researchers who have a strong background in a number of areas. In particular we are looking for individuals with the following subsets of skills 1. Strong mathematical and statistical skills with a focus on development and estimation of travel choice models. 2. Strong programming background with a focus on object-oriented programming. 3. Extensive experience in developing, maintaining and implementing transport networks within a transport modelling framework including experience in user-friendly documentation. In all areas of expertise it is essential to have good written and communication skills, proficiency in word processing and the ability to be trained in the use of other computer applications, the ability to work to deadlines and under pressure, good organisational skills, the ability to work in a team, and the ability to work independently, be flexible and exercise initiative. It is also essential that you have a demonstrated record in writing reports for projects as well as papers for conferences and journals. For further information contact Professor David Hensher on +61 9 29351 0085 or e-mail: davidh(a)its.usyd.edu.au * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Peter R. Stopher, Ph.D. Louisiana Land & Exploration Co. Professor Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA 70803-6405 Phone: 225-388-8898 Fax: 225-388-8652 e-mail: stopher(a)attglobal.net PlanTrans, LLP 3533 Granada Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70810-1142 Phone: 225-767-7843 Fax: 225-767-7861 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

24 years, 6 months

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