The 1990 Census
Revisions to the 1990 Census of Population and Housing reflect the larger changes in American society. For example,evolving family structure brought many changes to the census description of the relationship of children to adults in the surveyed household. Terms such as stepson, stepdaughter, grandchild, foster child, and unmarried partner were included for the first time in the 1990 Census. While the race category still includes "Black or Negro" and Spanish/Hispanic," "Other" could be written-in in the 1990 Census. American Indian tribes and Pacific Islander groups were delineated for the first time, resulting in a large increase in the percentage of American Indians reported in the 1990 Census. Unlike the 1980 Census, in 1990 the question regarding educational attainment was included on the long form questionnaire (received by 1 of 6 households), rather than on the short form (received by 100 percent of households.) (The distinctions between the two versions of the forms will be described later in the module). The disability status of adult persons in the household was also included for the first time in the 1990 Census.
The census with which most of us are familiar and which we have been discussing, is known as the Decennial Census of Population and Housing. This census includes several data items or variables that are of particular interest and use in a public health setting. These variables include total persons, households, families, age, race, and ethnicity, poverty (as defined as the minimum level of acceptable subsistence income of a family or household), and income to poverty ratio.
Population and housing data are also tracked with surveys between the Decennial Census. The Current Population Survey (CPS) (http://www.bls.census.gov/cps/cpsmain.htm) helps identify intercensal year growth and migration of populations as well as monitor socioeconomic trends. Estimates obtained from the CPS include employment, unemployment, earnings, hours of work, and other indicators. They are available by a variety of demographic characteristics including age, sex, race, marital status, and educational attainment. They are also available by occupation, industry, and class of worker. Supplemental questions to produce estimates on a variety of topics including school enrollment, income, previous work experience, health, employee benefits, and work schedules are also often added to the regular CPS questionnaire.
The Survey on Income and Program Participation (SIPP) (http://www.census.gov/hhes/sippdesc.html) tracks information on persons participating in federal financial entitlement programs, such as Supplemental Social Security (SSI), Medicare, and Medicaid. The sample design for the first SIPP panel in 1984 consisted of about 20,000 households selected to represent the noninstitutional population of the United States. The most recent 1993 panel has a sample size of approximately 20,000 households. Households in this SIPP panel are scheduled to be interviewed at four-month intervals over a period of 3 years.
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