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Moving from a decennial census to a continuous measurement survey: factors affecting nonresponse at the neighborhood level

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  • Joseph Salvo
  • Arun Lobo

Abstract

The Census Bureau is testing a continuous measurement program, known as the American Community Survey (ACS), which will provide census “long form” data annually, though with slightly higher levels of sampling variability. This paper focuses on the 1999–2001 ACS in the Bronx, 1 of 31 ACS test sites. It examines whether the quality of ACS data in the Bronx varies across neighborhoods, focusing specifically on how neighborhood sociodemographic factors influence nonresponse, as measured by mail return and allocation rates. It also examines whether these neighborhood factors have a differential impact on nonresponse in the ACS and the 2000 decennial census, and discusses reasons why this may be so. The ACS mail return rates are not only lower than those of the census, but are highly sensitive to race and socioeconomic distress. Despite this initial disadvantage, the ACS has lower levels of allocation on key variables, relative to the 2000 Census. Moreover, the effect of neighborhood socioeconomic distress on allocation rates in the ACS was minimal, compared to its effect on census allocation. We find that the overall quality of ACS data in the Bronx is superior to that of the decennial census. Our analysis of Bronx data suggests that the proposed elimination of the decennial long form and its replacement with the ACS is a reasonable tradeoff for users of small area data. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2006

Suggested Citation

  • Joseph Salvo & Arun Lobo, 2006. "Moving from a decennial census to a continuous measurement survey: factors affecting nonresponse at the neighborhood level," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 25(3), pages 225-241, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:poprpr:v:25:y:2006:i:3:p:225-241
    DOI: 10.1007/s11113-006-0008-0
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    Cited by:

    1. Katherine Nesse & Mallory Rahe, 2015. "Conflicts in the Use of the ACS by Federal Agencies Between Statutory Requirements and Survey Methodology," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 34(4), pages 461-480, August.
    2. Joseph J. Salvo & Arun Peter Lobo, 2010. "The Federal Statistical System: The Local Government Perspective," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 631(1), pages 75-88, September.
    3. David C. Folch & Daniel Arribas-Bel & Julia Koschinsky & Seth E. Spielman, 2016. "Spatial Variation in the Quality of American Community Survey Estimates," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 53(5), pages 1535-1554, October.

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