The Bureau puts forth tremendous effort to conduct an accurate count of the nation’s population. However, some degree of coverage error in the form of persons missed or counted more than once is inevitable. Two types of errors that can affect the accuracy of the enumeration are the omission of persons who should have been counted and erroneous enumerations of persons who should not have been counted. Historically, undercounts have plagued the census, although, according to the Bureau, they have generally diminished since 1940. For the 2000 Census, for the first time in its history, the Bureau reported a slight net overcount of approximately 0.5 percent or about 1.3 million people. However, as shown in figure 1, coverage errors were not evenly distributed through the population. For example, there was an overcount of non-Hispanic Whites, and an undercount of non-Hispanic Blacks. Nevertheless, figure 1 also shows the strides the Bureau made in reducing the undercount in the 2000 Census compared to 1990. Importantly, the national net overcount of about 0.5 percent does not mean that 99.5 percent of the population was counted correctly in 2000. In fact, the number of persons who were counted twice in the census was partially offset by the number of persons who were missed by the census. We have long maintained that the sum of these numbers—known as gross error (rather than the difference between the two numbers or net error)— provides a more comprehensive measure of total error in the census. Participation in the census, as measured by the mail return rate, also affects the accuracy of census data. The Bureau calculates mail return rates as the percentage of questionnaires the Bureau receives from occupied housing units in the mail-back universe. Although individuals who fail to mail back their census forms might be counted by an enumerator during a subsequent operation called nonresponse follow-up, high mail return rates are critical to quality data. A Bureau evaluation of the 2000 Census found that responses from mail returns tend to be more accurate than those obtained during nonresponse follow-up. Historically, return rates have declined. According to the Bureau, in 1970, for example, the overall mail return rate was 87.0 percent; in 1980, 81.3 percent; and in 1990 and 2000, 74.1 percent. Importantly, as shown in figure 2, during the 2000 Census, differentials existed in the mail return rates of different demographic groups. For example, Whites had a higher mail return rate (77.5 percent) than the rate for all groups (74.1 percent), while nearly every other demographic group had lower return rates than the overall mail return rate. The lowest mail return rates were those of Pacific Islanders (54.6 percent) and those of two or more races (57.7 percent). Maintaining or increasing mail return rates, especially minority return rates, represents an important opportunity for the Bureau to improve the quality of census data. In designing the 2010 Census, the Bureau recognized the importance of including a number of operations aimed at improving coverage and reducing the differential undercount. Three such efforts that I will highlight in my remarks today are (1) a complete and accurate address list, (2) an Integrated Communications Campaign to increase awareness and encourage participation, and (3) special enumeration programs targeted toward historically undercounted populations. These activities, along with a number of others planned for 2010, will position the Bureau to reduce the undercount. At the same time, each faces particular challenges and uncertainties that I will describe later in my statement. The foundation of a successful census is a complete and accurate address list and the maps that go with it. The Bureau’s Master Address File (MAF) is the inventory of the nation’s roughly 133.7 million housing units. In so far as it is used to deliver questionnaires as well as to organize the collection and tabulation of the data, the MAF serves as the basic control for the census. The Bureau develops its address list and maps over the course of the decade using a series of operations that sometimes overlap to increase the accuracy of the list of all housing units are included. These operations include partnerships with the U.S. Postal Service and other federal agencies; state, local, and tribal governments; and local planning organizations. Three operations that can help include the hard-to-count are the Bureau’s Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) program, address canvassing, and Group Quarters Validation. The LUCA program gives state, local, and tribal governments the opportunity to review and update the list of addresses and maps that the Bureau will use to deliver questionnaires within those communities. According to Bureau officials, LUCA helps identify hard-to-count populations and “hidden” housing units such as converted basements because local governments might know where such dwellings exist and have access to local data and records. In October 2008, the Bureau is scheduled to complete its reviews of participants’ LUCA submissions and update the MAF and a related geographic database used for maps. In the address canvassing operation, thousands of temporary Bureau employees known as listers verify the addresses of all housing units— including those addresses provided by localities in LUCA—by going door to door across the country. As part of this effort, listers add addresses that might not be in the Bureau’s database. To help find hidden housing units it might otherwise miss, listers ask if there is more than one residence at a particular address, or to look for clues such as an outbuilding or two mailboxes or utility meters that could indicate additional households. Indeed, as shown in the picture on the left in figure 3, someone could be living in what appears to be a storage shed. Likewise, in the picture on the right, what appears to be a small, single-family house could contain another apartment as suggested by its two doorbells. such as single-family houses, apartments and mobile homes, the 2000 decennial enumerated over seven million people living in group situations such as college dormitories, nursing homes, migrant labor camps, prisons, and group homes, collectively known as “group quarters”. Some group quarters, such as seasonal and migrant labor camps, can be difficult to locate because they are sometimes fenced-in or in remote locations away from main roads. The Bureau encountered a number of problems when enumerating group quarters during the 2000 Census. For example, in 2000, communities reported instances where students in college dormitories were counted twice and prison inmates were counted in the wrong county. Additionally, group homes are sometimes difficult for census workers to spot because, as shown in figure 4, they can look the same as conventional housing units. Since 1970, the Bureau has conducted a separate operation to enumerate the group quarters population. For 2010, the Bureau has plans to conduct Group Quarters Validation to validate the addresses found in the Address Canvassing operation and collect information about the type of group quarters. The Bureau’s Integrated Communications Campaign is designed to increase the mail response rate, improve cooperation with enumerators, enhance the overall accuracy of the census, and reduce the differential undercount. The Bureau estimates it will spend $410 million on the Integrated Communications Campaign for the 2010 Census. In September 2007, the Bureau awarded its communications contract to DraftFCB, a communications firm hired to orchestrate a number of communications activities for the 2010 Census. DraftFCB’s approach includes a specific focus on undercounted populations. As one example, the contractor worked with the Bureau to segment the nation’s population into distinct “clusters” using socioeconomic, demographic, and other data from the 2000 Census that are correlated with a person’s likelihood to participate in the census. Each cluster was given a hard-to-count score and the Bureau’s communications efforts are to be targeted to those clusters with the highest scores. The four clusters with the highest hard- to-count scores made up 14 percent of the nation’s occupied housing units based on data from the 2000 Census, and included the following demographic characteristics: renters, immigrants, non-English speakers, persons without higher education, persons receiving public assistance, and persons who are unemployed. Targeting the Bureau’s communications campaign to hard-to-count populations will help the Bureau use its resources more effectively. This will be important because in constant 2010 dollars, the Bureau will be spending less on communications for the 2010 Census ($410 million) compared to the 2000 Census ($480 million). The campaign strategy will be based on the theme “It’s In Our Hands”. According to the Bureau, this approach reflects a marketplace trend where communications are becoming more two-way or participatory, and can be seen, for example, in people creating their own content on the World Wide Web. The goal of the strategy is to encourage personal ownership and involvement that spreads the word about the census. The Bureau believes this approach will be more effective than if the message came from the government talking to the public. Further, the generic theme will be tailored to specific groups. For example, outreach targeted to families might carry the message, “The education of our children. . .It’s in our hands,” while the economically disadvantaged might receive “The power to matter. . .It’s in our hands.” The communications campaign consists of (1) paid media including national, local, outdoor, and online advertisements; (2) earned media and public relations such as news releases, media briefings, special events, podcasts, and blogs; (3) Census in Schools, a program designed to reach parents and guardians through their school age children, and (4) partnerships with key national and local grassroots organizations that have strong connections to their communities. Although the effects of the Bureau’s communication efforts are difficult to measure, the Bureau reported some positive results from its 2000 Census marketing efforts with respect to raising awareness.