You may recall that former President Trump wanted to add a kind of citizenship question that had never been included on every census form. As such, the Census Bureau conducted research in advance of 2020 to test out the anticipated impact of a citizenship question. It sent out a form that looked like the Census, half of which had a citizenship question and half of which didn’t. The Bureau found that there WAS a sensitivity and hesitancy amongst Latinx and Asian households when that question was asked, which could lead households with non-citizens not to participate in the Census. He noted that this can particularly imperil mixed status households, where some are citizens and some aren’t, risking not only non citizens not being counted but citizens.
Hansi noted that if the goal was to get a more detailed count on how many citizens and noncitizens there are, there’s a less expensive and more accurate way to do so: using government records already conducted through other agencies. However, the Biden administration has countered the Trump administration in deciding that estimates conducted through the American Community Survey are adequate.
