For over 100 years, the evolution of modern survey methodology--using the theory of representative sampling to make inferences from a part of the population to the whole--has been paralleled by a drive toward automation, harnessing technology and computerization to make parts of the survey process easier, faster, and better. The availability of portable computers in the late 1980s ushered in computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPl), in which interviewers administer a survey instrument to respondents using a computerized version of the questionnaire on a portable laptop computer. Computer assisted interviewing (CAI) methods have proven to be extremely useful and beneficial in survey administration. However, the practical problems encountered in documentation and testing CAI instruments suggest that this is an opportune time to reexamine not only the process of developing CAI instruments but also the future directions of survey automation writ large.

This volume contains the full text of two reports: one is an interim review of major census operations, which also assesses the U.S. Census bureau's recommendation in March 2001 regarding statistical adjustment of census data for redistricting. It does not address the decision on adjustment for non-redistricting purposes. The second report consists of a letter sent to William Barron, acting director of the Census Bureau. It reviews the new set of evaluations prepared by the Census Bureau in support of its October decision. The two reports are packaged together to provide a unified discussion of statistical adjustment and other aspects of the 2000 census that the authoring panel has considered to date.

Since its origin 23 years ago as a pilot test conducted in four U.S. counties, the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) has been the focus of continuous research, development, and refinement. The survey cleared critical milestones 14 years ago when it began full-scale operations, including comprehensive nationwide coverage, and 5 years later when the ACS replaced a long-form sample questionnaire in the 2010 census as a source of detailed demographic and socioeconomic information. Throughout that existence and continuing today, ACS research and testing has worked to improve the survey's conduct in the face of challenges ranging from detailed and procedural to the broad and existential. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion at the September 26?27, 2018, Workshop on Improving the American Community Survey (ACS), sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau. Workshop participants explored uses of administrative records and third-party data to improve ACS operations and potential for boosting respondent participation through improved communication. Table of Contents Front Matter 1 Introduction 2 Administrative Records, Third-Party Data, and the American Community Survey 3 Increasing American Community Survey Participation Through Improved Respondent Communication References Appendixes Appendix A: Workshop Agenda and Participant List Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Planning Committee Members and Presenters Committee on National Statistics

To derive statistics about crime ? to estimate its levels and trends, assess its costs to and impacts on society, and inform law enforcement approaches to prevent it - a conceptual framework for defining and thinking about crime is virtually a prerequisite. Developing and maintaining such a framework is no easy task, because the mechanics of crime are ever evolving and shifting: tied to shifts and development in technology, society, and legislation. Interest in understanding crime surged in the 1920s, which proved to be a pivotal decade for the collection of nationwide crime statistics. Now established as a permanent agency, the Census Bureau commissioned the drafting of a manual for preparing crime statistics?intended for use by the police, corrections departments, and courts alike. The new manual sought to solve a perennial problem by suggesting a standard taxonomy of crime. Shortly after the Census Bureau issued its manual, the International Association of Chiefs of Police in convention adopted a resolution to create a Committee on Uniform Crime Records ?to begin the process of describing what a national system of data on crimes known to the police might look like. Report 1 performed a comprehensive reassessment of what is meant by crime in U.S. crime statistics and recommends a new classification of crime to organize measurement efforts. This second report examines methodological and implementation issues and presents a conceptual blueprint for modernizing crime statistics. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction 2 "Traditional" and "New" Crime: Structuring a Modern Crime Statistics Enterprise 3 Coordination and Governance of Modern National Crime Statistics References Appendixes Appendix A: Charge to the Panel on Modernizing the Nation's Crime Statistics Appendix B: Historical Themes in the Development of U.S. Nationa lCrime Statistics Appendix C: Coverage of Recommended Crime Classification in Current Crime Statistics Appendix D: Remaining Methodology and Implementation Issues for Modern Crime Statistics Appendix E: Excerpted State Legal Requirements for Crime Reporting Appendix F: Cautionary Tales from International Experience: Police-Report Crime Statistics in the United Kingdom Appendix G: Biographical Sketches of Panel Members and Staff Committee on National Statistics

The decennial census is foundational to the functioning of American democracy, and maintaining the public's trust in the census and its resulting data is a correspondingly high-stakes affair. The 2020 Census was implemented in light of severe and unprecedented operational challenges, adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and other disruptions. This interim report from a panel of the Committee on National Statistics discusses concepts of error and quality in the decennial census as prelude to the panel?s forthcoming fuller assessment of 2020 Census data, process measures, and quality metrics. The panel will release a final report that will include conclusions about the quality of the 2020 Census and make recommendations for further research by the U.S. Census Bureau to plan the 2030 Census. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction 2 Frameworks for Understanding the Decennial Census and Its Quality 3 Other Evaluations of the 2020 Census 4 Initial Conclusions and the Path Ahead References Appendixes Appendix A: Glossary and Abbreviations Appendix B: Public Meeting Agendas Appendix C: Biographical Sketches of Panel Members and Staff Committee on National Statistics

The Committee on National Statistics of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a 2-day public workshop from December 11-12, 2019, to discuss the suite of data products the Census Bureau will generate from the 2020 Census. The workshop featured presentations by users of decennial census data products to help the Census Bureau better understand the uses of the data products and the importance of these uses and help inform the Census Bureau's decisions on the final specification of 2020 data products. This publication summarizes the presentation and discussion of the workshop. Table of Contents Front Matter 1 Introduction 2 Disclosure Avoidance in the 2020 Census 3 Geospatial Analyses of Social and Demographic Conditions 4 Redistricting and Related Legal Uses 5 Delivery of Government Services 6 Business and Private Sector Applications 7 Use as Denominators for Rates and Baseline for Estimates 8 Identification of Rural and Special Populations: American Indians and Alaska Natives 9 Identification of Rural and Special Populations: Small Communities, the Young, and the Elderly 10 Panel Discussion on Key Privacy Issues 11 Census Bureau's Responses and Own Analyses of 2010 Demonstration Data Products 12 Summary of Breakout Discussion Sessions References Appendixes Appendix A: Workshop Agenda and Participants Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Planning Committee Members and External Presenters Committee on National Statistics

In the wake of a large-scale disaster, from the initial devastation through the long tail of recovery, protecting the health and well-being of the affected individuals and communities is paramount. Accurate and timely information about mortality and significant morbidity related to the disaster are the cornerstone of the efforts of the disaster management enterprise to save lives and prevent further health impacts. Conversely, failure to accurately capture mortality and significant morbidity data undercuts the nation's capacity to protect its population. Information about disaster-related mortality and significant morbidity adds value at all phases of the disaster management cycle. As a disaster unfolds, the data are crucial in guiding response and recovery priorities, ensuring a common operating picture and real-time situational awareness across stakeholders, and protecting vulnerable populations and settings at heightened risk. A Framework for Assessing Mortality and Morbidity After Large-Scale Disasters reviews and describes the current state of the field of disaster-related mortality and significant morbidity assessment. This report examines practices and methods for data collection, recording, sharing, and use across state, local, tribal, and territorial stakeholders; evaluates best practices; and identifies areas for future resource investment. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction 2 Value and Use of Mortality and Morbidity Data 3 Operational Considerations for Individual Counts of Mortality and Morbidity 4 Analytical Considerations for Population Estimates of Mortality and Morbidity 5 Meeting the Mission Appendix A: Preliminary Literature Review Strategy Appendix B: Public Workshop Agendas Appendix C: Assessing Morbidity and Mortality Associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study Illustrating the Need for the Recommendations in This Report Appendix D: Integrating Community Vulnerabilities into the Assessment of Disaster-Related Morbidity and Mortality: Two Illustrative Case Studies Appendix E: Committee and Staff Biographical Sketches

To derive statistics about crime ? to estimate its levels and trends, assess its costs to and impacts on society, and inform law enforcement approaches to prevent it ? a conceptual framework for defining and thinking about crime is virtually a prerequisite. Developing and maintaining such a framework is no easy task, because the mechanics of crime are ever evolving and shifting: tied to shifts and development in technology, society, and legislation. Interest in understanding crime surged in the 1920s, which proved to be a pivotal decade for the collection of nationwide crime statistics. Now established as a permanent agency, the Census Bureau commissioned the drafting of a manual for preparing crime statistics?intended for use by the police, corrections departments, and courts alike. The new manual sought to solve a perennial problem by suggesting a standard taxonomy of crime. Shortly after the Census Bureau issued its manual, the International Association of Chiefs of Police in convention adopted a resolution to create a Committee on Uniform Crime Records ?to begin the process of describing what a national system of data on crimes known to the police might look like. The key distinction between the rigorous classification proposed in this report and the "classifications" that have come before in U.S. crime statistics is that it is intended to partition the entirety of behaviors that could be considered criminal offenses into mutually exclusive categories. Modernizing Crime Statistics: Report 1: Defining and Classifying Crime assesses and makes recommendations for the development of a modern set of crime measures in the United States and the best means for obtaining them. This first report develops a new classification of crime by weighing various perspectives on how crime should be defined and organized with the needs and demands of the full array of crime data users and stakeholders. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction: Crime Statistics in the United States 2 Current Scope and State of Nationally Compiled Crime Data 3 Users (and Uses) of Crime Statistics 4 Historical and Extant Classifications of Crime 5 Proposed Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes References Appendixes Appendix A: Charge to the Panel on Modernizing the Nation's Crime Statistics Appendix B: Participants in the Panel's Workshop-Style Meetings and Regular Sessions Appendix C: Alternative and Example Classifications of Crime Appendix D: Detailed Definitions and Exclusions, Panel's Proposed Classification of Crime Appendix E: Biographical Sketches of Panel Members and Staff Committee on National Statistics

Planning for the 2020 census is already beginning. This book from the National Research Council examines several aspects of census planning, including questionnaire design, address updating, non-response follow-up, coverage follow-up, de-duplication of housing units and residents, editing and imputation procedures, and several other census operations. This book recommends that the Census Bureau overhaul its approach to research and development. The report urges the Bureau to set cost and quality goals for the 2020 and future censuses, improving efficiency by taking advantage of new technologies. Table of Contents Front Matter Part I: Final Report Summary 1 Introduction 2 Planning the 2020 Census: Cost and Quality 3 Census Bureau Research, Past and Present 4 Revitalizing Census Research and Development Appendix A: Past Census Research Programs Appendix B: 2010 Census Program of Evaluations and Experiments Part II: Interim Report: Experimentation and Evaluation in the 2010 Census (December 7, 2007) Executive Summary 1 Introduction 2 Initial Views on 2010 Census Experiments 3 Initial Views on 2010 Census Evaluations 4 Considerations for the 2010 Census Appendix A: The Census Bureau's Suggested Topics for Research Appendix B: Internet Response Options in Selected Population Censuses Part III: Letter Report (February 19, 2009) Letter Report References Biographical Sketches of Panel Members and Staff Committee on National Statistics

In June 2012, the Committee on National Statistics (sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau) convened a Workshop on the Benefits (and Burdens) of the American Community Survey (ACS)---the detailed demographic and economic survey that began full-scale data collection in 2005 and that replaced the traditional "long form" in the 2010 census. ACS data are used by numerous federal agencies to administer programs, yet the ACS only moved from abstraction to reality for most users in 2010, when the first ACS estimates for small areas (based on 5 years of collected data) were made available. Hence, the workshop marked the opportunity to develop a picture of the breadth of the nonfederal user base of the ACS---among them, the media, policy research and evaluation groups (that distill ACS results for the media and broader public), state and local agencies, businesses and economic development organizations, and local and regional planning authorities---and to gather information on users' experiences with the first full releases of ACS products.
In addition to covering innovative uses of the information now available on a continuous basis in the ACS, the workshop gave expression to the challenges and burdens associated with the survey: the time burden places on respondents, the challenges of explaining and interpreting estimates with increased levels of variability, and the privacy and confidentiality implications of some of the ACS content. Benefits, Burdens, and Prospects of the American Community Survey: Summary of a Workshop provides a factual summary of the workshop proceedings and hints at the contours of the ACS user constituency, providing important input to the ongoing review and refinement of the ACS program.

It is easy to underestimate how little was known about crimes and victims before the findings of the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) became common wisdom. In the late 1960s, knowledge of crimes and their victims came largely from reports filed by local police agencies as part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system, as well as from studies of the files held by individual police departments. Criminologists understood that there existed a "dark figure" of crime consisting of events not reported to the police. However, over the course of the last decade, the effectiveness of the NCVS has been undermined by the demands of conducting an increasingly expensive survey in an effectively flat-line budgetary environment. Surveying Victims: Options for Conducting the National Crime Victimization Survey, reviews the programs of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS.) Specifically, it explores alternative options for conducting the NCVS, which is the largest BJS program. This book describes various design possibilities and their implications relative to three basic goals; flexibility, in terms of both content and analysis; utility for gathering information on crimes that are not well reported to police; and small-domain estimation, including providing information on states or localities. This book finds that, as currently configured and funded, the NCVS is not achieving and cannot achieve BJS's mandated goal to "collect and analyze data that will serve as a continuous indication of the incidence and attributes of crime." Accordingly, Surveying Victims recommends that BJS be afforded the budgetary resources necessary to generate accurate measure of victimization.