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Daniel L. Cork, Rapporteur Committee on National Statistics Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS Washington, D.C. www.nap.edu
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance. The project that is the subject of this report was supported by contract no. YA1323- 11-CN-0033 between the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Academy of Sciences. Support of the work of the Committee on National Statistics is provided by a consor- tium of federal agencies through a grant from the National Science Foundation (No. SES-1024012). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project. International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-26797-7 International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-26797-8 Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; (202) 334-3096; http://www.nap.edu. Copyright 2013 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America Suggested citation: National Research Council. (2013). Benefits, Burdens, and Prospects of the American Community Survey: Summary of a Workshop. Daniel L. Cork, rappor- teur. Committee on National Statistics, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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STEERING COMMITTEE FOR THE WORKSHOP ON THE BENEFITS (AND BURDENS) OF THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY LINDA GAGE (Co-Chair), Independent Consultant and California Department of Finance (retired) KEN HODGES (Co-Chair), Nielsen, Ithaca, New York LINDA JACOBSEN, Population Reference Bureau PATRICK JANKOWSKI, Greater Houston Partnership JOAN NAYMARK, Independent Consultant and Target Corporation (retired), Minneapolis, Minnesota RICHARD RATHGE, Departments of Agribusiness and Applied Economics and Sociology and Anthropology, North Dakota State University DANIEL L. CORK, Study Director CONSTANCE F. CITRO, Senior Program Officer AGNES GASKIN, Administrative Assistant v
COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL STATISTICS 2012â2013 LAWRENCE D. BROWN (Chair), Department of Statistics, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania JOHN M. ABOWD, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University DAVID CARD, Department of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, and Labor Studies Program, National Bureau of Economic Research ALICIA CARRIQUIRY, Department of Statistics, Iowa State University CONSTANTINE GATSONIS, Department of Biostatistics and Center for Statistical Sciences, Brown University JAMES S. HOUSE, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, and Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan MICHAEL HOUT, Department of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley SALLIE KELLER, Science and Technology Policy Institute, Washington, DC LISA LYNCH, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University SALLY MORTON, Department of Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh EDWARD H. SHORTLIFFE, New York Academy of Medicine, New York City HAL STERN, Department of Statistics, University of California, Irvine JOHN H. THOMPSON, NORC at the University of Chicago ROGER TOURANGEAU, Westat, Rockville, Maryland CONSTANCE F. CITRO, Director vi
Acknowledgment of Reviewers This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures ap- proved by the Report Review Committee of the National Research Coun- cil. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that assist the institution in making its report as sound as possible, and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evi- dence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process. We thank the following individuals for their review of this report: Kathleen Thiede Call, State Health Access Data Assistance Center and Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota; John Iceland, Department of Sociology, Pennsylvania State University; Dan Kasprzyk, Center for Excellence in Survey Research, NORC at the University of Chicago; Paul Overberg, Database Editor, USA TODAY ; Richard Rathge, Departments of Agribusiness and Applied Eco- nomics and Sociology and Anthropology, North Dakota State University; and Joanna Turner, State Health Access Data Assistance Center and Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota. Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive com- ments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the report, nor did they see the final draft of the workshop summary before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Joseph Salvo, Population Division, New York City Department of City Planning. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that the independent examina- tion of this summary was carried out in accordance with institutional proce- dures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of the summary rests entirely with the author and the in- stitution. vii
Contents 1 Introduction 1 1âA The Workshop on the Benefits (and Burdens) of the American Community Survey 5 1âB âThe Elephant in the Roomâ: Legislative Context for the Workshop 7 1âC Report Overview 9 2 Planning Health Care and Transportation Using the ACS 11 2âA Providing Data and Analysis to State Health Care Decision Makers 12 2âB Public Health Surveillance and Adding Value to Other Health Data Resources in New York City 17 2âC Framework for ACS- and Data-Based Health Care Planning 20 2âD Regional Transportation Modeling in Greater San Diego 24 2âE Meeting Language Implementation Requirements in Public Transit in Harris County, Texas 28 2âF Discussion 32 3 Planning Social Services and Responding to Disasters 35 3âA Contrast with the Current Population Survey for Studying Low-Income âSafety Netâ Policies 36 3âB Interpreting ACS Results to Inform Social Service Providers 41 3âC Tracking Disaster Impact and Recovery in Post-Katrina New Orleans 47 3âD Framework for Using Data in Disaster Preparation 51 ix
x CONTENTS 4 ACS and the Media 57 4âA Finding Stories in ACS Data 58 4âB Data-Based Investigation: Impact of Immigration in California 62 4âC Graphics and Presentation of Data to Newspaper and News Website Readers 66 4âD Discussion 71 5 State, Local, Tribal, and Urban/Rural Uses of ACS Data 75 5âA State Government Uses: Highlighting Diversity and Informing Policy in Minnesota 76 5âB Planning Human Services in Rural America 80 5âC Mapping ACS Detail in New York City 85 5âD Studying Demographic and Economic Conditions in the Navajo Nation 92 5âE ACS Views from the Counties, and Discussion 96 6 Business, Economic Development, and Data Aggregator Uses 99 6âA ACS Data for Economic Development and Workforce Planning Projects 100 6âB IPUMS: Compiling and Disseminating ACS Data Products 104 6âC ACS in Business: Marketing Services and Information Management Services 110 6âD ACS in Business: Understanding Teleworking, Wage Inequality, and Housing 113 6âE ACS in Business: Risk Assessment and Insurance 119 6âF ACS from the Construction and Home Building Perspective, and Discussion 122 7 Legal and Social Equity Uses of ACS Data 127 7âA Implementing Voting Rights Acts Language Requirements in Queens, New York City 128 7âB ACS Data in Redistricting Studies and Challenges 133 7âC Studying Disparate Impacts in Housing 136 7âD The Legal and Political Climate of the ACS, and Discussion 140 8 The Burdens of the ACS, and Closing Discussion 145 8âA Maintaining Reliable Information for Policy Assessments 147 8âB Tradeoffs: Using a Federal Survey to Drive State and Local Government Decisions 149 8âC Intrusiveness and Privacy Concerns 152 8âD Identifying (and Reducing) Respondent Burden 155 8âE Respondent Complaints and Congressional Reaction 159
CONTENTS xi 8âF Discussion 163 8âG Workshop Closing Remarks, and Discussion 164 References 167 Appendixes 171 A Workshop Agenda and Participant List 173 B Biographical Sketches 179
List of Figures 2-1 Estimated percent of uninsured persons, age 0â64 and at or below 200 percent of the poverty level, in West Virginia, derived from the American Community Survey and the Current Population Survey 15 2-2 Simplified outline of transportation modeling process, showing connections to American Community Survey products 26 3-1 Effect of welfare âsafety netâ provisions on child poverty rate, Georgia, Illinois, and Massachusetts, 2008 40 3-2 Summary page, Social IMPACT Research Center Illinois Poverty Report, 2011 43 3-3 Excerpt of poverty, income, and health insurance coverage profile, Winnebago County, Illinois, 2010 44 5-1 Calculated Human Services Need Index for U.S. counties, 2009 84 5-2 Lower bound estimate of percentage of housing units with no vehicle, Long Island, New York, by block group, 2006â2010 89 5-3 Upper bound estimate of percentage of housing units with no vehicle, Long Island, New York, by block group, 2006â2010 90 6-1 Ratio of 90th percentile household income to 10th percentile, by state 117 6-2 Percent of people living with parent by age, United States, 2010 118 8-1 Veterans by service-connected disability rating, Georgia, 2008â2010 151 8-2 Veterans by service-connected disability rating, Atlanta and Macon, Georgia, metropolitan areas, 2008â2010 153 xiii
List of Tables 5-1 Number of Movers to Minnesota with at Least a Bachelorâs Degree by State of Origin (or Abroad), 1995â2000 and 2007â2010 (annual averages) 79 5-2 Percentage of Degreed Workers Living in State of Birth, 2007â2010 80 5-3 Rural/Urban Differences in Human Services Need Index, 2009 85 xiv
List of Boxes 2-1 Legal Mandates: Fairness and Access to Federally Funded Services 29 2-2 Legal Mandates: Language Implementation for Limited English Proficient Users of Transportation Systems 31 7-1 Legal Mandates: Determination of Areas Requiring Bilingual Voting Materials 129 xv