The 2020 census underestimated black, Latino, and indigenous populations, even more so than in the census of the last decade. The count comes after delays in data collection caused by COVID-19 and an effort by the Trump administration to introduce a question of citizenship in the census form.
Data released by the Census Bureau on Thursday also showed an excessive count of the non-Hispanic white population and the Asian population, as well as an insufficient count for children over 17 years of age.
The Latino census rate was more than three times that of the 2010 census, while the black population was underestimated by a rate that was approximately 60% higher than in 2010.
Latinos saw a count of less than 5% in 2020, compared to 1.54% in the 2010 census. The black population count was 3.3% in 2020, compared to 2 % of 2010. The indigenous population of the reserves saw a count of 5.64% in 2020, slightly more than 4.8% in 2010.
The non-Hispanic white population experienced a 0.66% drop in 2020, compared to 0.54% in 2010.
However, the director of the Census Bureau, Robert L. Santos, says that the overall national population count is accurate and that the quality of the census itself is “consistent with that of recent censuses.”
Overall, the post-census survey by the Census Bureau found that there was a net coverage count of 0.25% or 782,000 for the nation. In statistical terms, he found neither a lower count nor an excessive count.
These population figures are used to determine the levels of federal funding for utilities for certain areas, as well as how many seats in Congress each state will have during the decade. The office published issues nationally only and will publish more state-specific issues later this year.
“This is remarkable, given the unprecedented challenges of 2020,” Santos said. “Given today’s findings as a whole, we believe the 2020 census data is suitable for many uses in decision-making as well as for painting a vivid portrait of the people of our nation.”
But Kelly Percival, a senior lawyer at the Brennan Center, a left-wing public policy institute, said the count is “alarming” and noted that this is the second census since World War II that is less accurate than the decade. previous. He described Trump’s push to put a question on citizenship on the form as “unprecedented intrusion” and “definitely played a factor in contributing to people’s hesitation in filling out the form.”
“Communities heavily represented in the count can claim significant political power and money. While communities that are not accounted for, lose their fair share of all our resources,” he added.
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