by Jae June Lee and Cara Brumfield | Feb 15, 2021 | Fact Sheet
The Census Bureau is modernizing its confidentiality protections for census responses. At the heart of this new approach is a mathematical definition of confidentiality called “differential privacy.” This fact sheet—published jointly with Data & Society and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights—provides a brief introduction to differential privacy, outlines the implications of the changes for data users, and encourages stakeholders to provide feedback to the Census Bureau.
by William P. O'Hare, Cara Brumfield and Jae June Lee | Oct 9, 2020 | Report
It is perhaps more important today than ever for stakeholders to understand the key approaches and methods for measuring the accuracy of the decennial census. The 2020 Census faces extraordinary challenges that will impact its fairness and accuracy. The likely consequences may skew political representation and the allocation of federal funds for the next decade and affect an array of other crucial uses of census data. To help stakeholders better engage in public discussions of census accuracy and related actions, this preliminary report introduces measures and methods for evaluating census accuracy, assesses their relative strengths and weaknesses, and provides key historical context needed for interpreting the results of the census.
by Jaboa Lake, Jae June Lee, Megan Maury and Cara Brumfield | Oct 5, 2020 | Report
The Census Bureau has struggled to accurately count people experiencing homelessness in decennial censuses. Due to the unprecedented challenges of conducting the 2020 Census during the COVID-19 pandemic, people experiencing homelessness were likely undercounted and miscounted at even higher rates than in previous decades. These undercounts and miscounts may undermine the fair allocation of federal funding for public programs and services—such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers—that help people experiencing homelessness attain a decent standard of living. This report, published jointly with the Center for American Progress and the National LGBTQ Task Force, explains why the 2020 Census may have undercounted people experiencing homelessness, outlines consequences for public programs, and offers preliminary recommendations for how to improve counts of people experiencing homelessness for the 2030 Census.
by Cara Brumfield and Jae June Lee | Jul 27, 2020 | Article
As the nation’s first “digital” census, the 2020 Census will employ cutting-edge methodologies and technologies to improve the efficiency, cost, and accuracy. With consequences for determining the allocation of political power and financial resources, it is essential that the Census Bureau complete a fair and accurate count, particularly in communities historically missed in the census. This article, published in the Georgetown Law Technology Review, provides census stakeholders an overview of some of the opportunities and challenges presented by the use of big data and digital technologies in census taking.
by Cara Brumfield and Sophie Khan | May 6, 2020 | Brief
Child care providers have been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis and are facing tough decisions about how to do what’s best for the families they serve, their own families, their workers, and their businesses. This fact sheet, published jointly with the National Women’s Law Center, outlines financial supports available to help cover providers’ business expenses and to help workers who face layoffs or reduced hours.
by Jae June Lee and Cara Brumfield | Apr 22, 2020 | Fact Sheet
The decennial census is key to the distribution of political power in the United States. The count is the basis for the apportionment–the distribution of seats in the House of Representatives to the states according to their populations. In this joint fact sheet from the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality and Asian Americans Advancing Justice, we provide an overview of the official apportionment process and timeline as a resource for census stakeholders.
by Funke Aderonmu, Sophie Khan and Cara Brumfield | Dec 13, 2019 | Fact Sheet
Census data help guide the distribution of federal funds for programs that serve millions of women and girls with low incomes. The data also help us make decisions about how to support women, girls, and their communities. This fact sheet, published jointly with the National Women’s Law Center, highlights barriers to fairly and accurately counting women and girls in the decennial census and programs that could be impacted by an inaccurate count.
by Sophie Khan, Christopher Brown and Cara Brumfield | Dec 3, 2019 | Fact Sheet
Many people living in group quarters, such as health care facilities, are at risk of being undercounted in the 2020 Census. This Group Quarters Operation fact sheet provides advocates and stakeholders an overview of how people living in health care facilities, including nursing, residential treatment, psychiatric, and hospice facilities, will be counted during the 2020 Census.
by Christopher Brown and Cara Brumfield | Dec 3, 2019 | Fact Sheet
Many people living in group quarters, such as correctional facilities, are at risk of being undercounted in the 2020 Census. This Group Quarters Operation fact sheet provides advocates and stakeholders with an overview of how people living in correctional facilities will be counted during the 2020 Census.
by Christopher Brown and Cara Brumfield | Dec 3, 2019 | Fact Sheet
Many people living in group quarters, such as military personnel, are at risk of being undercounted in the 2020 Census. This Group Quarters Operation fact sheet provides advocates and stakeholders with an overview of how different types of military personnel will be counted during the 2020 Census.
