Need sample of old census
May 19, 2009 10:12 AM   Subscribe

Can someone help me find older version of the United States census? I'd like to compare and review the questions they are asking this time around versus the questions of years past. I know I can download a sample census for 2010. I'd like to download a pdf of the older ones as well. Thank you.
posted by Jackie_Treehorn to Law & Government (6 answers total)
 
Here you go. 2000 and 1990 there, link to older Census questionnaires at the bottom.
posted by Eldritch at 10:15 AM on May 19, 2009


How old do you want? Questions from the 1790 - 1930 censuses can be found here, among other places (though not in PDF form, unfortunately).
posted by cerebus19 at 10:16 AM on May 19, 2009 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: most recent ones really. i'm just trying to see how much more invasive the questions have been getting over the years.

the only thing the constitution give the census people the right to ask is the number of people living in your home. you are not required to answer anything else per the constitution however i know there are other items on the books that require you to answer all other questions sent along with the census under monetary penalty if you refuse.

thank you.
posted by Jackie_Treehorn at 10:25 AM on May 19, 2009


They're concerned more with the problem of comparability across years than privacy, but the IPUMS project at the Unversity of Minnesota has info on how questions have changed over the years (e.g. race).

Also, the Census Bureau has published a book that has all the questionnaires and enumerator instructions, and some historical details about every census.
posted by substars at 10:42 AM on May 19, 2009


Just an FYI, Jackie but the 2010 Decennial Census will only be a few basic questions: Age, Sex, Race, Hispanic Ethnicity, Household Relationship, and whether the house is owned or rented. There will be no long form like in 2000 (with its 54 detailed questions).

And another FYI, regardless of whether you agree with the questions, every one of the questions asked about in the Decennial Census is mandated or required by a federal statute: for 2000, you can find the program that utilizes each piece of data, broken down by question, here. The legislative mandate for the varied questions on Census questionnaires is Title 13, which you can find a lot of information about here.

It's understandable to be worried about privacy and invasiveness of questionnaires, but I think you'd be surprised by how dedicated to privacy and the protection of confidential information the Census Bureau and its employees are. All Census employees are sworn for life to keep the information they see confidential.

The monetary penalties you referenced for not filling out a Census form are rarely used, and minor compared to the penalties for a Census employee divulging confidential information.
posted by Eldritch at 12:44 PM on May 19, 2009


Best answer: the only thing the constitution give the census people the right to ask is the number of people living in your home. you are not required to answer anything else per the constitution

Hoo boy. You may want to read the thing first before you make claims like this.

First of all, the Constitution barely mentions the census in passing. Article 1, Section 2 is concerned with the composition of Congress and calls it an Enumeration. It is stated as a responsibility, not a right, and explicitly says in such Manner as they [Congress] shall by Law direct, which means that they can change the Manner as long as they can pass it in both houses and the President signs it.

The law part is in the US Code as Title 13. The law for the population census is ยง 141, which gives broad authority to the Secretary of Commerce to conduct the census "in such form and content as he may determine" and in addition "the Secretary is authorized to obtain such other census information as necessary". In fact, turning your purported understanding on its head, the law provides for penalties for non-compliance -- i.e. not answering questions [rarely used as far as I understand it].

The way the census has been run has changed a little bit each decade, as any genealogist can tell you. Early ones did simply submit counts of individuals; later ones listed each person. This information is considered private and is now protected from being reviewed at any level smaller than the census block for 72 years. One of the modern approaches -- at least since the 1970s -- has been a short census given to almost everyone and a long census given to a sample of the population. The long form includes more detailed questions about income, race, and other sensitive subjects, and is deemed sufficient to give a statistical picture of the population without the expense of asking everyone. This information, though, has now moved to another function of the Census Bureau.

The Constitution isn't long. I really urge you to examine it before you make claims about its contents.
posted by dhartung at 10:57 PM on May 19, 2009 [1 favorite]


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