The Nation : 1990 Census Figures Won’t Be Adjusted

The 1990 Census will include everyone in the country who stands up to be counted, with no adjustment for anyone who is overlooked, the Commerce Department said in rejecting proposals from large cities and minority groups that the figures be adjusted. “Adjustment may create more problems than it solves and may divert resources needed for enumeration,” Commerce Undersecretary Robert Ortner said. He said it would damage public confidence in federal statistics and leave the census open to allegations of political manipulation, since the population count is used to set congressional representation and the size of grants in many programs. “We don’t play with the numbers,” Ortner said.