Abstract
Planning for the 1990 census is already under way and many important decisions must be made in the next two to three years. In making decisions, the Census Bureau will be guided by six criteria or goals: The Bureau wants to (1) meet legal deadlines for the delivery of apportionment and redistricting data; (2) keep the total cost of the census reasonable; (3) produce data in a more timely manner than ever before; (4) maintain the high level of accuracy of past censuses; (5) strike a proper balance between the need for information and the time it takes respondents to complete the questionnaire; and (6) maintain the strictest confidentiality of each respondent's answers. This article discusses current bureau thinking in several specific areas: basic methodology; automation; personnel management; outreach and publicity; coverage improvement, coverage measurement, and adjustment; census content; and data products. The article also describes the process the bureau has set up for planning the census, including internal review, consultation with data users and the interested public, and formal tests of census procedures and content.
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