The Census Bureau has proposed dropping the long census form from the 2010 census. Detailed data formerly collected on the long form would be collected in a very large ongoing survey: the American Community Survey (ACS). Full implementation of the ACS in three million households was scheduled to begin in 2003, but at this point may be postponed.

The first national-level pilot test of the ACS was conducted with 700,000 households over the calendar year of 2000. This ACS pilot test was called the Census 2000 Supplementary Survey, or C2SS. If the ACS is to replace the census long form, estimates for demographic characteristics that it collects should be consistent with estimates from the census. To test for consistency, staff compared estimates for demographic variables from the C2SS and Census 2000.

Unexpectedly large differences were found between Census 2000 and Census 2000 Supplementary Survey race estimates, particularly for Hispanics, and especially in the interviewer-administered modes.

Others in Series

Working Paper

ACS Income: Data Collection, Processing, Comparisons to 1990 Census

2000

This report compares data collection and processing for the American Community Survey to data collection and processing for the 1990 Census.

Working Paper

Still Rolling: Leslie Kish's "Rolling Samples" and the ACS

2001

Leslie Kish's influence on the development of the ACS and practical methodological issues addressed in implementing the design.

Working Paper

Assessment of Data Collected from Non-English Speaking Households

2003

Assess completeness of data collected from non-English speaking households to measure item nonresponse.

Page Last Revised - October 8, 2021

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