PREFACE

This is the first part of a comprehensive procedural report on the methodology of the Eighteenth Decennial Census. It covers the procedures of the 1960 Censuses of Population and Housing from the early stages of planning and pretesting through the tabulation and publication of final reports.

The information included here should be correct through March 1963. The period during which operations were proceeding on the censuses did not end until after June 1963, so some of the overall figures are based on estimates for the last few months of census work.

Other reports on the methodology of the Eighteenth Decennial Census which have appeared to date are listed on the inside front cover. Three of them reproduce the data-collection forms for the censuses and give brief explanations of their use in the field. The others, and some additional reports to be published later, are detailed reports on some

special aspects of the census procedures.

There is a bibliography at the end of each chapter, with references to sources of detailed background information on the censuses. The bibliography is restricted to publications, unpublished papers presented at conferences, and instruction manuals. There is additional reference material on the censuses in the Bureau of the Census, consisting largely of memoranda prepared for internal use. Some contain detailed specifications and instructions for particular operations; others contain policy directives; others record working agreements with other agencies; quite a number contain findings of pretests. They are available for use in the Bureau of the Census by qualified research workers.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This publication was prepared by Phyllis G. Carter, Census Historian, Statistical Reports Division, drawing on reports, memoranda, and other documents, and with the assistance of much of the staff of the Bureau of the Census:

were written

For part I, 1960 Population and Housing Censuses, large portions of chapter 2, "Planning the Censuses, by Leon Pritzker, Statistical Research Division, David L. Kaplan, Population Division, and Nathan Krevor, Housing Division. Chapter 3, "Sampling and Estimation," was prepared primarily by Joseph Steinberg, Robert H. Hanson, and Warren Mitofsky, Statistical Methods Division. Most of chapter 4, "Geographic Work, 11 was contributed by William T. Fay and Robert C. Klove, Geography Division. Much of chapter 5, "Other Preparatory Work, was prepared by Robert Makoff, Administrative Service Division, A. W. von Struve, Public Information Officer, and Herman Fasteau, Statistical Methods Division, with a large contribution by Robert D. Krook, Jeffersonville Census Operations Office. Most of chapter 6, "The Field Organization and Training," was written by Guy W. Warner, Field Division, Edward M. Cook, Personnel Division, and Leon Pritzker, Statistical Research Division. Most of chapter 7, "The Enumeration," was prepared by Guy W. Warner, Richard J. Mullikin, and Jack Silver, Field Division, and David L. Kaplan and Donald S. Akers, Population Division. Most of chapter 8, "Processing the Data," was written by Morton A. Meyer, Glen S. Taylor, John P. Eberle, and Leo T. Clark, Demographic Operations Division, with large contributions from Robert F. Drury, Data Processing Systems Division, and Joseph Steinberg, Statistical Methods Division. Much of chapter 9, "The Publication Program," was contributed by Sheldon M. Klein and Ingrid L. Millison, Statistical Reports Division. Chapter 10, "The Evaluation and Research Program,' was written primarily by Marie D. Wann, Statistical Methods Division. Chapters 11 and 12, "Puerto Rico," and "American Samoa, Canal Zone, Guam, Virgin Islands, and Other Outlying Areas," were written primarily by Edward P. Swan, Population Division, with contributions from Rafael A. Nieves, Demographic Operations Division, and the staff of Data Processing Systems Division. For part II, Survey of Components of Change and Residential Finance, most of chapter 2, "Components of Inventory Change Survey," was written by Elmo Beach and Aaron Josowitz, Housing Division. Most of chapter 3, "Residential Finance Survey," was written by Abraham Goldblatt and Herbert Shapiro, Housing Division. Chapter 4, "Sample Design, Estimation, and Sampling Variability," was written primarily by Robert Finch, Statistical Methods Division. Editorial review and suggestions were provided by Ingrid L. Millison, Statistical Reports Division.

Many other people contributed to certain sections, did the research for particular sections, or resolved problems and obtained fuller explanations for various sections as needed. A great many people reviewed specific portions of this publication, and quite a few reviewed all sections.

Direction and review were provided principally by Conrad Taeuber, Assistant Director for Demographic Fields, Morris H. Hansen, Assistant Director for Research and Development, and Edwin D. Goldfield, Chief, and William Lerner,

Assistant Chief, Statistical Reports Division.

September 1963.

iii

PART I. 1960 POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUSES

Chapter 1. GENERAL

INTRODUCTION

The 1960 population and housing censuses of the United States instituted many new census procedures. They were the first censuses of population and housing, in this country, in which most of the public was asked to fill out the questionnaires. They were the first in which the mail was used extensively for distributing advance questionnaires and for collecting detailed questionnaires from a sample of households. They were the first in which most of the items of information were collected on a sample basis. They were the first in which sample data were collected in a separate operation from the 100-percent data. They were the first in which formal quality control procedures were used in an effort to control the quality of the work of the individual enumerators. And they were the first in which most of the data processing was done on high-speed electronic equipment, some of it especially designed and built for utilization in these censuses. These and other innovations had an effect on most of the methods and procedures of the censuses, on the costs, on the quality of the results, and on the timing of the census publications. The methods and some of the consequences are described in this report.

THE CENSUS ORGANIZATION

Organization of the Bureau

Large-scale censuses are an important part of the work of the Bureau, but only a part of the task which the Bureau performs. The regular organization must carry forward a continuing program of annual, quarterly, and monthly statistical surveys and special assignments, as well as the major censuses. This basic continuing organization, supplemented by temporary employees, conducted the Eighteenth Decennial Census. Many divisions of the Bureau devoted a substantial effort to the 1960 population and housing censuses throughout the census period.

Executive Staff

The Director, the chief executive of the Bureau, was assisted by a Deputy Director who shared his responsibilities. On their immediate staff were five Assistant Directors as well as the Chief of the International Statistical Programs Office and the Public Information Officer.

The Assistant Director for Demographic Fields was responsible for the three subject-matter divisions concerned with the decennial census--the Population, Housing, and Agriculture Divisions--as well as the Decennial Operations Division and the Statistical Methods Office (later the Statistical Methods Division).

The Assistant Director for Economic Fields was responsible for the Business, Construction, Economic Operations, Foreign Trade, Governments, Industry, and Transportation Divisions, none of which was involved in the Eighteenth Decennial Census.

The Assistant Director for Statistical Standards (later the Assistant Director for Research and Development) was responsible for the Electronic Systems Division, Statistical Reports Division, and Statistical Research Division, and provided technical direction for the statistical methods, standards, and research activities in the various divisions of the Bureau.

The Assistant Director for Operations was responsible for the Field Division, Geography Division, and Machine Tabulation Division.

The Assistant Director for Administration was responsible for the Administrative Service Division, Budget and Management Division, Personnel Division, and the Jeffersonville Census Operations Office.

The Chief of the International Statistical Programs Office had the function, among his numerous other functions, of providing information about the censuses to foreign statistical agencies for their study of census methods.

The Public Information Officer directed the information and publicity program for the censuses.

The Divisions

The divisions which worked on the 1960 Censuses of Population and Housing are listed below with a brief description of their functions.

Administrative Service Division secured space, supplies, and equipment. It arranged for communication, transportation, and related facilities, and for the printing of schedules and other forms and the printing of publications containing the census results.

Budget and Management Division was primarily responsible for financial planning and control, coordinating budget estimates and their justifications, participating in the development of official time schedules and designing progress reports systems, setting production standards, accounting, payrolling, and furnishing general management staff guidance and assistance in Washington and the field.

Decennial Operations Division was established July 1958 to handle the data processing for the 1960 Censuses of Population and Housing, from the receipt of the filled-in schedules sent in by the District Offices through the tabulation of census results. During most of the work on the censuses, the division consisted of a headquarters staff in Washington, a processing office in Jeffersonville, Ind., another in San Juan, P. R., and staff at the various computer installations which supplemented the tabulation work done by the electronic computers at the Bureau of the Census headquarters in Washington. In June 1962, it became a permanent division of the Bureau and the name was changed to Demographic Operations Division.

Electronic Systems Division was responsible for the maintenance and operation of the electronic data-processing equipment--FOSDIC, computers, and high-speed printers--and also provided general programing materials, trained programers, and rendered substantial programing assistance during the data processing for the censuses. In September 1961, it was combined with the Machine Tabulation Division to form the Data Processing Systems Division.

Field Division was responsible for the collection of the data. For this purpose, it established 399 temporary District Offices and hired an army of enumerators, crew leaders, and other temporary field personnel. The work of the District Offices was coordinated by the 17 regular Regional Offices of the Bureau which were under the direction of Field Division. (For a detailed description of the field organization, see the section on "Establishing the Field Organization" in chapter 6.)

Geography Division determined the boundaries of the various geographic areas used in the enumeration and in the presentation of the statistics, and prepared maps for the enumerators and other field personnel and also for the published reports.

Housing Division was primarily concerned with the subject content of the housing census. The major functions carried out by its staff members were meeting with census users to determine the type of data needed; participation in planning the enumeration procedures; design of the housing portions of the questionnaires and schedules; preparation of instructions for manual and machine editing and coding; planning the housing census publications and writing the analytical and explanatory texts; professional review of the tables before publication; and providing consultation and services to other divisions on matters requiring expert understanding of the subject content of the housing cen

sus.

Machine Tabulation Division conducted the processing on punchcard equipment of some special areas and groups, notably the outlying areas of American Samoa, the Canal Zone, Guam, and the Virgin Islands, and the overseas population, and also provided instructions for the data-processing operation conducted in Puerto Rico. In September 1961, it was combined with the Electronic Systems Division to form the Data Processing Systems Division.

Personnel Division formulated personnel policies and prepared procedures to guide the various offices in applying personnel regulations. Recruitment, training, and orderly decrease of staff after completion of work were among its major activities for the decennial census. The division also classified jobs, reviewed changes in organization, and directed employee services.

Population Division was primarily concerned with the subject content of the census of population. Its major functions with regard to the census were consultation with census users on the types of data needed; participation in planning the enumeration procedures; design of the population portions of the questionnaires and schedules; preparation of instructions to enumerators; preparation of instructions for manual and machine editing and coding; planning the population census publications and writing analytical and explanatory text; professional review of the tables; and providing consultation and services to other divisions on matters requiring an expert understanding of the population content of the census. In addition, the Publications Branch prepared the copy for the printer for both the population and housing census reports.

Statistical Methods Office (later called the Statistical Methods Division) developed methods and provided technical guidance for the application of sampling in the census, conducted the research and

evaluation program, and designed the quality control program for the data processing beginning with quality control of the printing of the schedules.

Statistical Reports Division provided guidance on the publication policy and program and provided editorial review of the census publications for clarity, standard terminology, and statistical presentation. The division also advised on legislation for the census and on legal aspects of its various phases, and maintained a program of census documentation which included the history of census activities and a number of special reports on the census methodology.

Statistical Research Division, in cooperation with the Office of the Assistant Director for Research and Development, provided technical direction of the research, standards, and evaluation activities, and conducted research on the general census procedures during the 10-year interval between the 1950 and 1960 population and housing censuses. Their work included research on and initial development of innovations in enumeration procedures and data-processing equipment and techniques as well as the sample design and other phases of the censuses.

Operations Offices

A Census Operations Office was established at Jeffersonville, Ind., to handle the large-scale clerical operations of the population and housing censuses. Among these operations were the assembly and shipment of supplies for the field offices, the preparation of maps (by a branch of the Geography Division installed in Jeffersonville) and their reproduction, and, after the censuses, receipt of enumeration books from the field offices, and (under the direction of a branch of Decennial Operations Division) coding the sample schedules and microfilming all the enumeration books.

Another Operations Office was established in San Juan, P. R., to process the data from the 1960 Censuses of Population and Housing of Puerto Rico.

CENSUS LEGISLATION

The Constitution of the United States authorizes the census of population. Article 1, section 2, provides that "the actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct."

The basic census laws under which the Bureau of the Census operates were codified by the 83rd Congress in 1954, under Title 13 of the United States Code. In 1957 several amendments were enacted for the purpose of improving the Eighteenth Decennial Census. One permitted the census of agriculture to be taken in the fall of 1959, so that data could be collected immediately after the crop year. Another was an authorization for covering census topics by sampling, "except for the determination of population for apportionment purposes." A third permitted the Secretary of Commerce to designate items for coverage through preliminary or supplemental surveys in connection with censuses. Another amendment clarified the method of taking the censuses in the outlying areas such as Puerto Rico, the Canal Zone, etc.

The census proclamation was signed by the President on March 15, 1960, and appeared in the Federal Register of March 19, 1960.

The census proclamation and the sections of Title 13 of the United States Code which relate to the decennial census are reproduced in appendix A.

HISTORY OF U.S. NATIONAL CENSUSES

In the United States, official census-taking on a nationwide basis dates back to 1790, when U.S. marshals collected the data required by the Constitution for apportionment purposes, with some additional detail specified by the Congress. In each subsequent decade there was an enumeration. From time to time changes were made in the subject matter covered.

In 1810, inquiries on manufactures were added, and in 1840, inquiries on agriculture.

The first six censuses, 1790-1840, were taken by methods that by present standards appear crude. Inquiries were limited largely to the numbers of the population by age, sex, color, and whether free or slave. In 1810, 1820, and 1840, efforts were made to extend the census into more complex fields, such as industry, but the results were of very little value other than demonstrating the need for better methods. The first printed schedule was employed in 1830.

In 1850 a revision of enumeration methods took place. Schedules were printed as in 1830 and 1840, but for the first time written instructions explaining the inquiries in detail were provided, and illustrative examples of filled schedules were introduced. Information was obtained about each person instead of just the number of various classes of persons in each household.