Higher education advocates have warned that proposed changes to the 2030 Census could lead to an undercount of international students and faculty, as well as undocumented residents. They also raised concerns about removing questions on race, ethnicity and sexual orientation, saying the changes could weaken data used by colleges and communities to assess needs and plan services.
The Census Bureau’s proposal would exclude noncitizens and count people according to where they reside most between Jan. 3 and April 1, rather than where they live on April 1 alone. The proposed residence test would also be tied to tax records. Advocates say those criteria could make it more likely that some students are missed or counted outside the college communities where they live.
The American Council on Education said Census data helps institutions, governments, researchers and communities understand population changes and make evidence-based decisions, including about workforce needs and racial disparities. It warned that faculty and scholars on H-1B visas, along with international students, could go uncounted, producing an inaccurate picture of communities with large international enrollments and on-campus housing.
Washington State University and the City of Pullman, Wash., also told the Census Bureau that the proposed residence rules could exclude some people, including college students. They said excluding international students could undermine data accuracy and affect federal funding.
The Census Bureau says the changes would help ensure that citizens are counted while noncitizens are not. The proposal also argues that limiting demographic questions would prevent census data from being distorted by what officials describe as immaterial personal characteristics.
Comments on the proposal reflected both support and opposition. Some commenters backed removing race-related questions and excluding noncitizens. Others argued that losing demographic information would make it harder to identify communities with the greatest needs, enforce civil rights laws and assess whether voting maps are fair. More than 143,000 comments were submitted, and the Census Bureau must review and respond to them before finalizing its plan.
The proposal would not eliminate all federal collection of race and ethnicity data: the American Community Survey would continue to gather that information. However, the decennial Census and the survey serve different purposes. The Census counts every person every 10 years and informs congressional representation and support for communities; the ongoing survey samples households to track social and economic characteristics.
Advocates also raised concerns about the possible effects on Native communities, noting that some federal programs rely on Census data to determine funding for services such as housing, career training, food and transportation support. Civil rights groups have separately argued that excluding noncitizens could conflict with the 14th Amendment and that removing demographic questions would eliminate the only complete, block-level data on race and ethnicity. They have requested records to learn how the proposal was developed and what role government officials and outside groups played in shaping it.
Sources: Inside Higher Ed.