For the 2000 Census, Hispanics could identify themselves as Mexican,  Puerto Rican, Cuban, or “other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino.”  Respondents  who checked off this last category could write in a specific subgroup such  as “Salvadoran.”  Although this approach was similar to that used for the  1990 Census, as shown in figure 1, the “other” category in the 1990 Census  included examples of other Hispanic subgroups. The Bureau removed the subgroup examples as part of a broader effort to  simplify the questionnaire and thus help reverse the downward trend in  mail response rates that had been occurring since 1970. In  redesigning the questionnaire, the Bureau added as much white space as  possible, and removed unnecessary words to make the questionnaire  shorter and more readable. Moreover, evaluations conducted since the 2000 Census by the Bureau  indicate that the Bureau obtained a more complete count of Hispanics in  the 2000 Census than it did in 1990. No Bureau Tests Were Designed Specifically to Measure the Impact of Questionnaire Changes on Hispanic Subgroup Data

Bureau guidance requires that any changes to the census form must first be  thoroughly tested. Nevertheless, while the Bureau conducted a number of tests of the  sequencing and wording of the race and ethnicity questions, according to  Bureau officials, it did not specifically design any tests to determine the  impact of the changes on the quality of Hispanic subgroup data. Because  OMB standards do not require data on Hispanic subgroups, Bureau officials  said that the Bureau targeted its resources on testing and research aimed at  improving the overall count of Hispanics. The Bureau Plans to Conduct Targeted Research on Hispanic Subgroups in the Future

Because of concerns relating to the 2000 Census counts of Hispanic  subgroups, Bureau officials said that they plan to focus testing and  research on these questions in preparation for the 2010 Census. Bureau officials told us that they expect that the ACS will continue  to use the 2000 Census Hispanic question until research and testing on a  new version is complete. Although the specific  questions about the Hispanic subgroup data differed from those identified  in our review of the Bureau’s efforts to collect and report data on the  homeless and others without conventional housing, a common cause of  both sets of problems was the Bureau’s lack of agencywide guidelines for  its decisions on the level of quality needed to release data to the public.
Why GAO Did This Study

To help boost response rates of both the general and Hispanic populations, the U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) redesigned the 2000 questionnaire, in part by deleting a list of examples of Hispanic subgroups from the question on Hispanic origin. While more Hispanics were counted in 2000 compared to 1990, the counts for Dominicans and other Hispanic subgroups were lower than expected. Concerned that this was caused by the deletion of Hispanic subgroup examples, congressional requesters asked us to investigate the research and management activities behind the changes.

What GAO Found

In both the 1990 and 2000 census, Hispanics could identify themselves as Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or other Hispanic. Respondents checking off this latter category could write in a specific subgroup such as "Salvadoran." The "other" category in the 1990 Census included examples of subgroups to clarify the question. For the 2000 Census, the Bureau removed the subgroup examples as part of a broader effort to simplify the questionnaire and help improve response rates. The Bureau removed unnecessary words and added blank space to shorten the questionnaire and make it more readable. Although the Bureau conducted a number of tests on the sequencing and wording of the race and ethnicity questions, and sought input from several expert panels, no Bureau tests were designed specifically to measure the impact of the questionnaire changes on the quality of Hispanic subgroup data. According to Bureau officials, because federal laws and guidelines require data on Hispanics but not Hispanic subgroups, the Bureau targeted its resources on research aimed at improving the overall count of Hispanics. Bureau evaluations conducted after the census indicated that deleting the subgroup examples might have confused some respondents and produced less-than-accurate subgroup data. A key factor behind the Bureau's release of the questionable subgroup data was its lack of adequate guidelines governing the quality needed before making data publicly available. As part of its planning for the 2010 Census, the Bureau intends to conduct further research on the Hispanic origin question, including a field test in parts of New York City. However, until research on a new version of the question is finalized, Bureau officials said that other census surveys will continue to use the 2000 Census format of the Hispanic origin question.