The Census Bureau has released a new report that indicates several groups, including Black people, Latinos and Native Americans, were undercounted during the latest survey. Those three groups, according to the report, were undercounted by a rate of about 3.3%, 5% and 0.91% respectively. Additionally, the census undercounted young children, as well as those who rent homes and apartments, Newsweek reports.
In contrast, non-Hispanic white people, as well as Asian groups and homeowners may have been counted twice, according to the report.
“Today’s results show statistical evidence that the quality of the 2020 Census total population count is consistent with that of recent censuses. This is notable, given the unprecedented challenges of 2020,” Director Robert L. Santos said in a statement, according to Newsweek. “But the results also include some limitations — the 2020 Census undercounted many of the same population groups we have historically undercounted, and it overcounted others.”
With the exception of the Asian population, the percentage of other minority groups overlooked during the 2020 census was much higher than in previous years, PBS News reports.
Advocates said the Trump Administration disrupted the survey with its effort to add a citizenship question to the census form, possibly deterring Hispanics and immigrants from participating, regardless of their citizenship status.
“As you can imagine, we are just terribly — I can’t even find the word right now — upset about the extent of the Latino undercount,” Arturo Vargas, CEO of NALEO Educational Fund, said, PBS News reports.
Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, also blamed the Trump administration.
“These numbers are devastating. Once again, we see an overcount of white Americans and an undercount of Black and Hispanic Americans,” Morial said, according to PBS News. “I want to express in the strongest possible terms our outrage.”
In the 2010 census, the Black population had a net undercount of more than 2%. The 2010 data also revealed an undercount of 1.5% for the Hispanic population. Additionally, the same report indicated an undercount of 4.9% for American Indian and Alaskan Natives living on reservations, as well as 0.08% for Asians. The non-Hispanic white population, according to the 2010 data, had a net overcount of 0.8%.
The census data is used to determine the distribution of $1.5 trillion in federal spending each year. The figures also determine the number of congressional seats each state gets. As a result, inaccurate data in the report can impact the amount of funding and political representation that is given to various populations over the next decade.
