Lets take a minute to think about how America lives, Dr. KennethPrewitt, director of Census 2000, said to a gathering of students at Boston We have people living in igloos, houseboats, tree houses and cabins inthe woods, Prewitt said. America is not a neat little row of urban houses.
The census is two things: a count and assigning geography, Prewittexplained. The purpose of the census is to let the government know whereAt its peak, Census 2000 will be the third largest advertiser in the UnitedStates. It has poured millions into making sure people know its out thereand also making sure that people acknowledge they must respond. However,there are several demographic groups, such as Native Americans and LatinosPrewitt blames two things for an undercount: attitude and demographics. Demographically, residents who do not live in one place, such as travelingsalesmen who primarily live out of a suitcase, are undercounted along withpeople who have no where to live at all. Likewise, Native Americans havebeen previously undercounted because the isolation of reservations makes itdifficult and expensive for the Census Bureau to get a count. Attitudinal problems affect people who fear the government, such as illegalaliens, and people who dislike the government.
Were trying to talk the country into responding and fulfilling their civicresponsibility, Prewitt said, given the sharp decline in citizen responsesince the censuses of 1960 and 1970.
Census 2000 is not just the governments scientific exercise or collectingdata to redistribute funds and power; this year, the Census Bureau is inpartnership with 90,000 community leaders across the country, and the Bureauand the community are sharing the responsibility of getting the right numbersin responses. Prewitt admitted that management is more complicated, but localleadership may get responses from difficult to reach demographic and racialCensus 2000 is also different because it is controversial. It is the firstcensus in American history that gives people the opportunity to identifythemselves specifically and multiracially. Prewitt maintained that, giventhe racial tensions that still exist in America, geographically detailedracial data is important to defending against discrimination. Racial datawill also help reform race-based social policy.
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