Should the Bureau use statistical estimating techniques to adjust any of the data obtained in the 1990 census by the more traditional counting and self-enumeration techniques? If so, what characteristics of population and housing should be adjusted, and what geographic level should be adjusted? In order to resolve these global issues, one must break them into separate sub-issues which are capable of being researched. For the purpose of this paper seven groupings will be used. These are:

1. How would adjustment affect critical uses of census data?
2. What is the legal and policy context for adjustment?
3. How can census coverage best be measured?
4. How can local area estimates of coverage best be made?
5. How should adjustment be implemented as part of the census process?
6. How should the adjusted figures be published and used?
7. What are the other implications of census adjustment?

The first part of this document discusses the background, meaning, and context of census adjustment. The reader who is already conversant with the problem is invited to skip to Section V: Detailed Discussion of Plans.