http://youtu.be/RjOg09aeokc.]]> RICHES]]> Halifax Historical Museum]]> Library of Congress]]> Florida Memory Project]]> National Archives and Records Administration]]> RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.]]> A History of Central Florida Collection, RICHES Podcast Documentaries Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> iTunes]]> RICHES.]]> RICHES]]>
For the 1990 Census, the U.S. Census Bureau utilized extensive user consultation prior to enumeration in order to refine both long and short form census questionnaires. The short form consisted of 13 questions and was given to the entire population. The long form asked 45 questions and was given to a 20-percent sample. The long form included topics related to marital history, carpooling, residence, residential elevators, and energy usage. Unlike the 1980 Census, the new census eliminated questions regarding air conditioning, the number of bathrooms in a residence, and the type of heating equipment used. A vast advertising campaign was marketed to increase public awareness of the census via public television, radio, and print media. Like the previous census, the Census of 1990 made a special effort to enumerate groups that have historically been undercounted in previous censuses called "S-Night": individuals in homeless shelters, soup kitchens, bus and railway stations, and dormitories (enumerated separately in the 1980 Census on "M-Night"); and permanent residents in hotels and motels (enumerated separately in the 1980 Census on "T-Night"). Following legal issues filed in response to the 1980 Census regarding statistical readjustment of undercounted areas, the Census Bureau initiated a post-enumeration survey (PES), in which a contemporaneous survey of households would be conducted and compared to the census results from the official census. In a partial resolution of a 1989 lawsuit filed by New York plaintiffs, the U.S. Department of Commerce agreed to use the PES to produce population data that had been adjusted for the projected undercount and that said data would be judged against the unadjusted data by the Secretary of Commerce's Special Advisory Panel (SAP).

The Census of 1990 also introduced the U.S. to the Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing System (TIGER), which was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Census Bureau. TIGER used computerized representations of various map features to geographically code addresses into appropriate census geographic areas. It also produced different maps required for census data collection and tabulation. Five years earlier, the Census Bureau became the first government agency to publish information on CD-ROM. For the 1990 Census, the bureau made detailed census data, which had previously been only available to organizations with large mainframe computers, accessible to any individual with a personal computer. Census data was also available in print, on computer tape, and on microfiche. Using two online service vendors, DIALOG and CompuServe, the Census Bureau also published select census data online.

As with previous censuses, the 1990 Census undercounted the national population, and again, the African-American population had an estimated net undercount rate that was significantly higher than the rate for other races. In July of 1991, the Secretary of Commerce announced that he did not find evidence in favor of using adjusted counts compelling—despite SAP's split vote on the issue—and chose to use unadjusted totals for the official census results. In response, the New York plaintiffs resumed the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Commerce. A federal district court ruleded in favor of the DOC in April of 1993. The U.S. Court of Appeals, however, rejected the previous court ruling and ordered that the case be reheard by the federal district court. In March of 1996, the U.S. Supreme Court finally ruled in favor of the Secretary of Commerce's decision to use the unadjusted census date, but did not rule on the legality or constitutionality of the use of statistical adjustment in producing apportionment counts.]]>
U.S. Census Bureau]]> U.S. Census Bureau, 1990.]]> U.S. Department of Commerce]]> U.S. Census Bureau, 1990.]]> U.S. Census Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> U.S. Census Bureau and published by the U.S. Department of Commerce.]]>
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    Due to the success of the 1970 Census' mail-out/mail-back questionnaire, the program was expanded for the Census of 1980 to include approximately 95 percent of the population. The short-form questionnaire for this census contained seven questions related to population and 11 questions related to housing; whereas the long-form questionnaire included 26 questions on population and 10 questions on housing. A question regarding Spanish or Hispanic origin, separate from race inquires, was used in all questionnaires due to its success in a five-percent sample for the 1970 Census. Two surveys were included in the new census: the Components of Inventory Change Survey, making inquiries regarding the number and characteristics of housing units that either changed or remained the same between 1973 and 1980; and the Residential Finance Survey, which collected information on mortgages, shelter costs, housing characteristics, and owner characteristics. The U.S. Census Bureau's Census Publicity Office, established in 1978, directed an extensive public service advertising campaign focusing on public awareness of the census and encouraging individuals to participate. A special effort was made to enumerate groups that have historically been undercounted in previous censuses: "M-Night" focused on counting individuals in homeless shelters, soup kitchens, bus and railway stations, and dormitories; "T-Night" focused on the enumeration of hotels and motels with permanent residents.

    The State Data Center Program was established to simplify public access to census data via computer tapes. The Census Bureau was to provide free copies of electronic and printed census information and products to each state; in return, the state agreed to develop a network of affiliated organizations, such as state executive departments, chambers of commerce, councils of government, university research departments, and libraries, by which census information would be housed for public access. All states had joined the program by the middle of the decade.

    Despite various technological and procedural advances, the U.S. Census undercounted the national population, as it typically did in previous censuses. The African-American population had an estimated net undercount rate that was 3.7 percentage points higher than the rate for all other races combined. Various cities and states, beginning with the City of Detroit, filed suit against the U.S. Census Bureau, demanding that statistical adjustment be used to compensate for census estimates that had been omitted or improperly counted. In the Fall of 1980, the Bureau announced that it would not adjust its population totals because it was unable to determine the number and distribution of illegal aliens and other undercounted groups. A federal district court ruled in favor of the City of New York and the State of New York that same year, ordering the Census Bureau to correct its numbers. The U.S. Supreme Court stayed this ruling, as well as other similar rulings, in December of 1980, which allowed the Bureau to report its figures to the President unadjusted. In 1987, a federal appeals court ruled that the census figures should not be adjusted because the Census Bureau's decision not to adjust the figures was not arbitrary nor capricious.]]>
    U.S. Census Bureau]]> U.S. Census Bureau, 1980.]]> U.S. Department of Commerce]]> U.S. Census Bureau, 1980.]]> U.S. Census Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> U.S. Census Bureau and published by the U.S. Department of Commerce.]]>
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    The Census of 1950 encompassed every state, Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, the Panama Canal Zone, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and other small American territories. For the first time, the U.S. Census Bureau enumerated Americans living abroad to account for members of the Armed Forces, vessel crew members, and government employees residing in foreign countries. The Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of State (DOS), the Maritime Administration (MARAD), and several other federal agencies were responsible for distributing and collecting census questionnaires in a cooperative effort. Persons living abroad for reasons other than what is listed above had their census information reported by families or neighbors residing in the United States, but such data was criticized as unreliable and were not published in official statistics.

    The 1950 Census also included a new survey on residential financing collected separately on a sample basis from owners of owner-occupied properties, rental properties, and mortgage lenders. The accuracy of the new census was increased by improved enumerator training, the use of detailed street maps for enumerators, the publication of "Missed Person" forms in local newspapers, and the designation of a specific night to conduct a special enumeration of transient individuals. Moreover, a post-enumeration survey was conducted to further verify the accuracy of the original enumeration. A sample of approximately 3,500 small areas was compared to the original census data to identify households that may have been omitted initially. Likewise, a sample of approximately 22,000 households were re-interviewed to identify persons omitted in the original enumeration count. Though not used for the 1950 Census, the UNIVersal Automatic Computer I (UNIVAC I), the first non-military computer, was used to tabulate some of the statistics for the 1954 census of economy. In August of 1954, Congress codified various census statutes, such as the Fifteenth Census Act of 1929, authorizing the decennial census and other census.]]>
    U.S. Census Bureau]]> U.S. Census Bureau, 1950.]]> U.S. Department of Commerce]]> U.S. Department of Defense]]> U.S. Department of State]]> U.S. Maritime Administration]]> U.S. Census Bureau, 1950.]]> U.S. Census Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> U.S. Census Bureau and published by the U.S. Department of Commerce.]]>
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    Congress authorized the 1940 Census in August 1939, providing the Director of the Census the additional authority to conduct a national census of housing in each state, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Alaska. The housing census was conducted separately, though enumerators often collection housing information at the same time that they collected population information. The Census of 1940 was the first time that the U.S. Census Bureau used advanced statistical techniques. In particular, the census used probablity sampling, which had only previously been tested in a trial census of unemployment conducted the Civil Works Administration during 1933-1934, in surveys of retail stores in the 1930s, and in an official sample survey of unemployment conducted amongst two percent of American households in 1937. Probability sampling allowed for the inclusion of additional demographic questions without increasing the burden on the collection process or on data processing. Moreover, sampling the U.S. Census Bureau was able to publish preliminary returns eight months before tabulations were completed. Likewise, the census increased its number of published tables, and was also able to complete data processing with higher quality and more efficiency. New census questions focused on employment, unemployment, internal migration, and incomes—reflecting on the concerns of the Great Depression, the country's housing stock, and the need for public housing programs.]]>
    U.S. Census Bureau]]> U.S. Census Bureau, 1940.]]> U.S. Department of Commerce]]> U.S. Census Bureau, 1940.]]> U.S. Census Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> U.S. Census Bureau and published by the U.S. Department of Commerce.]]>
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