Many people do not know that the United States Constitution requires that a census be conducted every ten years, and that failure to respond to the census is punishable by a $100 fine. The founders of this country were  counting on the census to ensure representative democracy--that areas with more people have more votes in Congress. Reapportionment is the process of adjusting representation according to losses and gains in population.

Over the years other uses have been made of census data. The 1990 figures will determine the amounts of federal and state funding for essential services in many hometowns. Private enterprise will use the results to determine production and advertising strategies. As uses for census information evolve, so do the collection methods, the questions, and the public's response.

Census takers have employed a number of different techniques for counting. Early enumerators went door to door with pots of ink and pens to record information. For a number of years information was gathered by telephone. Later the postal service speeded up the task. The need to quickly tabulate the information encouraged the development of computer applications. Today's census officials project a totally computerized census in the future.

The census questions also change. In the 1890 census, families were asked if they bad any idiots in the house and if their heads were smaller than average (Roberts 10). Alterman notes that when "[a] proposal was made that a question about each person's religious affiliation be included in the census of 1970 . . . a storm of protest followed" (253). The 1990 census will be the first to enumerate the disabled and children being raised by someone other than their natural parents.

Public response to the census has also varied. In 1910 immigrants fearful of deportation bid from census workers. By 1960 all large cities protested the undercounting of their residents. Some people suggest that lack of trust in government will skew the accuracy and completeness of this year's count.

This packet contains some articles about the census helpful in preparing for the final exam, but additional materials can be found in the INC. The World Book Encyclopedia and the Academic American Encyclopedia both contain useful entries an the census. The articles listed in the bibliography have been placed on reserve, and additional material from the Census Bureau and from local newspapers can be found in the pamphlet file. Infotrac and Newsbank list many references to articles about this year's and previous years' census reports; some students find merely browsing through the citations useful. Almost every day, local newspapers and television news programs address the issues raised by the census. Closer to home, family members or friends may be eager to discuss their reactions to filling out the forms.

Alterman, Hyman. Counting People: The Census in History. New York: Harcourt,  Brace & World, 1969. 

Bean, Frank D. and Rodolfo 0. de la Garza. "lllegal Aliens and Census Counts." Society Mar/Apr 1988: 48-53.

Crispell, Diane. "How to Navigate the Census Bureau." American Demographics Nov 1989: 46-66. 

Edmondson, Brad. "Hide and Seek."  Atlantic Dec 1988: 18-26.

Lipkin, Richard.  "Reaching Deep for the Right Tally." Insight 15 Jan 1990: 8-16.

---, "The Undercount Persists, Proves Tricky to Handle."  Insight 15 Jan 1990: 16-19.

"The 1990 Census Questionnaire."  American Demographics Apr 1989: 24-3.

Rabinove, Samuel. "Finding out who counts: Why the numbers matter." Commonweal 16 June 1989: 360-61.

Range, Peter Ross. "Let the great gerrymander war begin." U.S. News and World Report 20 Feb 1989: 29-30.

Roberts, Steven V. "An All-American snapshot: How we count and why." U. S. News and-World Report 2 April 1990: 10. 

Schwartz, Joe. "The Census Means Business."  American Demographics July 1989: 18-23.

The final exam will consist of the three questions listed below. You will be assigned one of the questions to answer, so you should plan responses to all three and be prepared to write on any one of them. Preparing is important! Organize your essays carefully, remembering to incorporate examples and details. You may bring this handout (with minimal markings) into the exam and a single 3' x 50 file card with additional notes an one side only. (You ought to be able to fit your plans for all three essays an one side of the card.) You may use a dictionary and a thesaurus during the e period if you wish.

1. There are some differences and similarities between counting the homeless and counting illegal aliens such as (but not limited to) the attitudes of advocates for each group toward the census, the attitudes of group members themselves toward being counted, and the usefulness of the results. Compare/contrast counting the homeless with counting illegal aliens.

2.  What have individuals and organizations done to cause the 1990 census count to be accurate?

     What have individuals and organizations done to cause the 1990 census count to be inaccurate?

Choose one.  Your thesis must state your position on the accuracy of the 1990 census.

3. What kinds of public and private institutions or organizations will use the 1990 census results? How will they use the figures?