The US Census Bureau is considering removing the ancestry question from the American Community Survey and is seeking feedback on the concerns of the data user community in order to make decisions that reflect the best interest of not only their respondents and stakeholders, but of the data users. In 2020, the Census Bureau implemented changes to the race question, coding, and processing in both the 2020 Census and ACS. Due to the similar type of responses being collected from the race question, the question on ancestry may no longer be needed, and therefore may be removed from the ACS as early as 2025. Removing the ancestry question would reduce burden on respondents and streamline the way they collect and publish data for many ancestries and ethnic origins. Census Bureau will provide more context to this potential change and solicit feedback from data users.
Presenters:
Merarys Rios-Vargas, Chief, Ethnicity and Ancestry Branch, U.S. Census Bureau
Angie Buchanan, Senior Analyst, Ethnicity and Ancestry Branch, U.S. Census Bureau