As the professional association of U.S. demographers, the Population Association of America [PAA] welcomes Judge Jesse Furman’s ruling (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York) blocking the inclusion of a citizenship question in the 2020 Census. The citizenship question was not subjected to the Census Bureau’s standard testing procedures. Available evidence indicates that its inclusion would increase the cost and reduce the accuracy of the 2020 Census. For this reason, the PAA has joined other professional organizations in opposing the addition of the citizenship question.
The decennial census is tremendously important and consequential. The decennial census data determine the apportionment of the U.S. House of Representatives and the allocation of over $800 billion in annual federal funding. Census data are a crucial source of information on changes in the U.S. population. Adding an untested question that is expected to undermine the validity of the census data is not only imprudent when so much is at stake, can negatively impact rates of participation.
The PAA urges this Administration to work with demographers and other census stakeholders to ensure the 2020 Census is conducted in a cost-effective, accurate, and inclusive manner. We also urge the U.S. Congress to take appropriate actions to ensure that the 2020 Census is not damaged by inclusion of the citizenship question.
— John Casterline, Ph.D., President, Population Association of America
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