US Business Bodies Back Census Funding

Marshalled by the Insights Association, twenty-one US business associations have written to Congress urging accommodation of the Secretary of Commerce's request for an additional $187m to support the 2020 Census.

Sent last week, the letter describes the decennial Census as 'a key building block for our democracy' which 'informs decision-making in both the public and private sectors', and notes that with other major surveys relying on Census data as their foundation, 'the trickle-down impact of an inaccurate 2020 Census would be severe. That includes impact on the American Community Survey (ACS) and the Economic Census, two other Census Bureau programs upon which the US business community more directly depends'.

It continues: 'The population and demographic data that are obtained from these surveys are vital to businesses across America to promote economic development, identify potential customers and create jobs. The 2020 Census is mandated by the Constitution; the questions in the ACS are required by law; and the data from the Economic Census allows for calculation of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) nationally and for individual states. The combined data are an irreplaceable tool for business and industry, allowing us to analyze current and trending demographic and economic shifts, and give us the certainty necessary to plan and execute future investments'.

Signatories included the Internet Association, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), National Association of Business Economists (NABE), National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR) and the National Retail Federation (NRF) - in addition to Nielsen and the Insights Association itself.

The letter notes that the White House request is currently for $1.66 billion, 'and even that may not be enough'. It concludes: 'Any funding diversion from the ACS would reduce the sample size, preventing the survey from delivering accurate data on more than 40% of (mostly rural) US counties and small towns, while funding diverted from the Economic Census would hurt our ability to track national and international productivity, trade, and employment'.

Web site: www.census.gov .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.