1990 Census Will Be Worst Count Ever, Lawmaker Says

The 1990 census has been riddled with inaccuracies and omissions that will render it the worst national head count in U.S. history, Rep. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) charged Friday.

“The magnitude of the (census) bureau’s mission does not excuse it from the sorts of logistical and bureaucratic gaffes we have witnessed over the past few months,” Schumer told the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee.

But Barbara Everitt Bryant, acting Census Bureau director, stressed that the tally is not finished.

“This has been a well-planned census, despite what some detractors said,” she said.

The hearing was to confirm Bryant as head of the Census Bureau and to assess progress of the count to date. Bryant has held the post for seven months, and officials who testified Friday were careful not to blame problems on her.

Schumer said that at least 18% of New York City households did not receive forms because the bureau’s mailing lists were so bad.

“In my opinion, this will be the worst census, the least accurate census ever since the country began,” he said.

Rep. Thomas C. Sawyer (D-Ohio), who is chairman of the House Post Office subcommittee on census and population, said he was not prepared to declare the census a failure.

Sawyer told the committee that “the design of the census appears inadequate to measure a society as diverse and complex as ours.”