Mobilizing Against Threats to American Community Survey

Abigail Zenner reports that a recently proposed bill in Congress would threaten the collection of data vital to planning in the American Community Survey (ACS). According to Zenner, "Representative Ted Poe (R-Texas) introduced a bill (HR 2255) that would make all but four of the ACS survey questions voluntary."

Here's how Zenner explains the possible impact of the proposed federal legislation: "If the ACS loses its funding or is made voluntary, the survey would dramatically decline in participation rate. When Canada changed their similar annual survey from required to voluntary participation, the rate dropped from 94 percent to 69 percent. That drop increased survey costs since the government had to send out far more surveys to boost the sample size. Despite those efforts Canada’s survey could not produce reliable data for 25 percent of the nation."

The American Planning Association (APA) has already mobilized a response to the bill, gathering representatives from the U.S. Council of Mayors, International Council of Shopping Centers, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and the Marketing Research Association to speak with congressional staff "about the importance of preserving the ACS and how that data is used for communities and business." The APA also joined 20 other organization, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, labor unions, and retail groups, in sending a letter to Congress explaining the importance of ACS.