578 – Statistical Explorations for the Post-Enumeration Survey of the U.S. 2020 Census
Calibrating Components of Coverage from a Post-Enumeration Survey
Timothy Kennel
U.S. Census Bureau
Components of census coverage include correct enumerations, erroneous inclusions, and whole-unit imputations. The sum of these three components should equal published census counts. In this paper, we explore methods to calibrate post-enumeration survey estimates of enumeration status so that sums of estimated correct and erroneous enumerations equal census totals for all published variables. We also compare the performance of the calibrated estimators for totals and rates. Although not calibrated for all variables, we argue for a ratio adjustment because it is simple and results in sufficient mean squared error reductions for estimates of correct and erroneous enumeration rates.