The 1986 test of adjustment related operations in Central Los Angeles County - ARCHIVED

As part of the planning for the 1990 Decennial Census, the Census Bureau investigated the feasibility of adjusting the census for the estimated undercount. A test census was conducted in Central Los Angeles County, in a mostly Hispanic area, in order to test the timing and operational aspects of adjusting the Census using a post-enumeration survey (PES). This paper presents the methodology and the results in producing a census that is adjusted for the population missed by the enumeration. The methodology used to adjust the test census included the sample design, dual-system estimation and small area estimation. The sample design used a block sample with blocks stratified by race/ethnicity. Matching was done by the computer with clerical review and resolution. The dual-system estimator, also called the Petersen estimator or capture-recapture, was used to estimate the population. Because of the nature of the census enumeration, corrections were made to the census counts before using them in the dual-system estimator. Before adjusting the small areas, a regression model was fit to the adjustment factor (the dual-system estimate divided by the census count) to reduce the effects of sampling variability. A synthetic estimator was used to carry the adjustment down to the block level. The results of the dual-system estimates are presented for the test site by the three major race/ethnic groups (Hispanic, Asian, Other) by tenure, by age and by sex. Summaries of the small area adjustments of the census enumeration, by block, are presented and discussed.