Advisory committee established for 2030 US census

The committee is tasked with assisting the Census Bureau in devising strategies to increase awareness of and participation in the next decennial census.

It will also work with the agency to reduce barriers to response and improve public trust and willingness to respond.

The new census committee members include Mary Jo Hoeksema, director of government affairs, Population Association of America and Association of Population Centers.

Hoeksema is also co-director of The Census Project, a group of national, state and local organisations and companies that advocates for an inclusive and accurate census.

Joel Alvarez, director, population division, New York City’s Department of City Planning; Nancy Bates, former senior methodologist and statistician at the Census Bureau; and Jeri Green, census consultant and senior adviser, National Urban League’s 2020 Census Black Roundtable, are among the other new members of the census advisory committee.

Deborah Stempowski, associate director for decennial census programs, said: “The 2030 census advisory committee’s insights on how to address persistent undercounts and overcounts, communicate with different communities in culturally relevant ways, and to collect information in easy and efficient ways are crucial to planning the decennial census.”

The Census Bureau is now in the last year of its ‘design selection phase’, in which it will complete the initial operational design for the 2030 census, based on recommendations from stakeholders and the results of research and small-scale testing.

Stempowski added: “Continued engagement with stakeholders is critical while we consider the public feedback we collected along with the results of our research and testing.”

Robert Santos, director, Census Bureau, said: “This talented group of specialists will provide the myriad perspectives and expertise that will help us produce statistical data to accurately render the beautifully diverse and dynamic nature of the nation’s population.”