Census Switch Worries Some

Return to Paper Forms Leaves Little Time for Adjustment By N.C. Aizenman Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, July 8, 2008; Page A02 With the 2010 Census less than two years away, independent demographers and congressional overseers are worried that the Census Bureau will not be prepared to accurately record the nation's racial and ethnic minorities, illegal immigrants and the poor -- groups that historically have been undercounted. Much of the concern stems from the bureau's decision in April to scrap a plan to use wireless hand-held devices to collect information from people who don't mail back their census forms. Minorities, immigrants and poor people are more likely to lack fixed addresses and to find census forms confusing or suspicious and therefore are less likely to return them by mail, experts said. Following up with home visits is crucial to ensuring that they are tallied.