don't trust the census

[Doug Henwood]

I'm a major consumer of Census data, so I find it disturbing when 
people talk about not responding. One of the enduring mysteries of 
American life is how well the statistical apparatus documents just 
how awful things can be - like inequality and poverty, deprivation 
and violence - and how open and dedidcated the statisticians are 
about their work. When I was doing my State of the USA Atlas, the 
British editor was stunned that I could call up Census people and get 
unpublished data or talk to them about the strengths and weaknesses 
of their figures; she said in Britain, the attitude of the data 
collectors was that their work was almost a state secret. So, please, 
fill out your Census forms!

Doug