For Immediate Release: 6/7/01 Contact: Mario Lopez (301) 457-5085 New Report Questions Statistical Adjustment WASHINGTON – A new report issued today by the Congressional Members of the U.S. Census Monitoring Board examines the scientific methodology behind statistical adjustment. “The 2000 census was the most accurate census in history,” said board Co-Chair A. Mark Neuman.  “With the dramatic reduction in the differential undercount compared to 1990, one can see why the professionals at the Census Bureau chose not to recommend the use of statistically adjusted numbers.  In the coming weeks and months we will be studying to what extent statistical adjustment would have put persons missed in the census back into the neighborhoods where they were missed,” he said.  “We must not only attempt to count everyone living in America, we must make sure they are counted at the correct address.” “There are other considerations we feel everyone should understand about the statistical adjustment methodology,” Neuman continued.  Among these are the roles of “post-strata” and “adjustment factors” in adjustment, and how data from just 800 people in one type of area (e.g. large metropolitan areas) could have been used to adjust data for millions of people nationwide. Board member Dr. David Murray also commented on the assumptions behind statistical adjustment.  “Adjusting the count of certain areas with data for persons from radically different areas is scientifically problematic, and that is what adjustment would do,” he said.  “Adjusting data for persons from New York City with data from persons in Miami and Seattle has troubling implications, especially when there are important geographic dimensions in the use of census data.” Other geographic examples are highlighted in the report, including that of the Gila River Reservation in Arizona, whose data would be adjusted with data from other Native American tribes, such as the Oneida Nation in New York. The U.S. Census Monitoring Board is a bipartisan panel created by Congress to oversee all aspects of the 2000 Census.  This report was produced by the congressionally appointed members.  Information regarding the Census Monitoring Board and the 2000 census can be found on our web page at www.cmbc.gov. # # # 9/30/01: CMB Congressional Members Release Final Report...7/30/01: Statement of Board Co-Chair A. Mark Neuman6/7/01: New Report Questions Statistical Adjustment4/18/01: Congressional Board Members Hail Success of Ce...3/30/01: CMB Congressional Members Join Census Bureau P...1/1/01: Congressional Members Recognize Census Bureau P...10/18/00: Report to Congress Details Board`s Observatio...9/11/00: Georgia Leaders Say Local Commitment Increase...6/27/00: Community Programs & Commitment Insure Accurat...6/26/00: Los Angeles Leaders Praise Community-based Pro...6/9/00: Blackwell Promotes Census at Allen AME Church i...3/20/00: Have You Been Counted?2/9/00: Undercount Summit Report Cites Recommendations ...11/5/99: Hispanic Newspaper Executives Hear Count Conce...9/27/99: False Hopes, False Expectations Raised By Stat...9/15/99: Latino Communities Urged to Prepare for Census...7/22/99: Census Bureau to Implement Monitoring Board Re...5/4/99: Blackwell Calls on Census Bureau to Enlist Lo...4/27/99: Census Board Members Advocate Empowering Comm...4/8/99: Census Monitoring Board Issues Joint Report-B...2/1/99: Blackwell Urges Census Bureau to Include Loca...2/1/99: Congressional Members` Release First Report t...