POPULATION INQUIRIES

A separate questionnaire (a 10"x11" booklet), containing both population and housing items, was used for each household, and completed by a respondent. For 1980, a housing unit no longer had to have complete kitchen facilities; it was sufficient that the occupants (if any) lived and ate separately from all other persons in the building and also had direct access to their quarters. They constituted one household. A household with 9 or more persons unrelated to the owner or renter, or one with 10 or more unrelated people living together, was considered as noninstitutional group quarters (and the unit was excluded from the housing inventory).

For 1980, sample questions were asked for every second household (50 percent) in places with less than 2,500 inhabitants and at every sixth household (17 percent) elsewhere. A similar pattern was followed for persons in group quarters.

Questions 2-7 were asked for everyone, while 8 through 33 were applied on a sample basis. For format, see bibliography item 6.

It was no longer required that a husband in a husband/wife household be designated as the head (item 2); the household

member used as a reference person for the relationship item could be the owner or renter, or anyone 16 years old or over.

Enumerators were no longer allowed to enter race (item 4) by observation, but were instructed to ask and mark the race with which the person most closely identified. If a single response was not possible, as in the case of a racial mixture, the mother's race was to be reported. If this was not satisfactory, the first racial group given was to be entered. In further contrast with 1970, "Brown," "Mexicano," etc., could be entered as "Other" (unless one of the listed categories was chosen). If a person was unable to select a single group in the Spanish-origin question (7), and only part two was Spanish (as in "Irish-Cuban"), the "No, not Spanish/Hispanic" circle was to be filled. If more than one origin was reported in the ancestry question (13), all answers were accepted.

A "health condition" in item 20 (disability) was defined as any physical or mental problem that had lasted or was expected to last for 6 months or more. (Pregnancy was excluded.) Item 21 (number of babies) was asked for all females 14 years and over, regardless of marital status.

The enumerator used item A to indicate whether the listed person was an inmate (I) of an institutional type of group quarters or a resident of noninstitutional (N) group quarters.