Update on the Census Bureau's Survey Planning Database

• Activity Number: 208
• Type: Roundtables
• Date/Time: Monday, July 30, 2012 : 12:30 PM to 1:50 PM
• Sponsor: Social Statistics Section
• Author(s): Nancy Bates*

Abstract

The Census 2000 Planning Database (PDB) assembles an array of demographic, housing, and socioeconomic data down to the tract level; many variables are correlated with enumeration difficulty and with response rates. The Census Bureau actively used the PDB in the planning and execution of the 2010 Census when designing the Communications campaign (with the goal of targeting hard-to-enumerate groups), and developing local action plans. External groups used the on-line PDB (at http://2010.census.gov/partners/research/) to conduct their own analysis to support 2010 efforts. The PDB is being updated to include data from the 2010 Census and the American Community Survey's 5-year estimates and other operational paradata such as 2010 Census mail return rates. We have expanded the new database to include block group-level statistics and will make this survey planning database publicly available to serve the planning needs of external survey practitioners. This roundtable will introduce the database, its content, and some suggested applications.