Federal Data Users

New Blog by @Allison Plyer and Cara Brumfield on The Census Project site:

Section 605: A Threat to America's Data

"Section 605 states: 'None of the funds in this Act may be used to enforce involuntary compliance, or to inquire more than twice for voluntary compliance with any survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census.' Making the census voluntary could dramatically reduce response rates. Additionally, constraining the Census Bureau's ability to do outreach would further suppress participation. Together, these changes would significantly undermine data quality, leading to inaccurate population counts and flawed demographic insights that are critical for policymaking, resource allocation, and representation."

Read more: https://thecensusproject.org/2025/09/14/standard-deviations-section-605-a-threat-to-americas-data/