For example, the 1990 census missed 8 million people, including almost 900,000 Californians. We don't have estimates of the 2000 undercount, but you can bet the farm it will be in the millions again. 5.6 million . . . 78.9 million . . . 281.4 million. America is simply too big, too mobile, too shy and too difficult to count the old-fashioned way.
Most advanced nations use modern, scientific sampling techniques to count their populations.
Bush's opportunity Bush can stop the habitual undercounting by using follow-up surveys to adjust the final count. However, that means going against conservatives in the Republican Party. An adjustment would surely deliver higher population numbers for Democratic districts and a greater demand for federal funding for social programs. He' ll probably have to decide soon after taking office, which is a good thing for minority folks, myself included. We won't have to wait long to see if he's serious about inclusion.