demographic data & pop over time

Question 1

2 types of data

Answer 1

primary
secondary

Question 2

what is primary data

Answer 2

• Data collected by you specifically for the purpose in mind
• Generally fresh and collected for the first time
• Collected under your control
  e.g. You’re interested in the views of FSU students regarding population policies - You design a questionnaire to collect this information

Question 3

examples of quantitive and qualitative primary data

Answer 3

• quantitive = experiments, surveys
• qualitative = focus groups, human observation, case studies

Question 4

advantages of primary data

Answer 4

1. Applicable and usable
2. Accurate and reliable
3. Up-to-date
4. Greater control
5. Addresses specific research interest

Question 5

disadvantages of primary data

Answer 5

1. Expensive
2. Not immediately available
3. Time consuming

Question 6

what is secondary data

Answer 6

• Data collected by someone else
• Collected for a different purpose
• Sometimes called “exhaust data.”
• The data are being reused, usually in a different context
• e.g. You use your friend’s questionnaire of FSU students regarding population policies to investigate something different

Question 7

advantages of secondary data

Answer 7

1. Inexpensive
2. Easily accessible
3. Immediately available (time saving)
4. Relevant
5. Complements primary data

Question 8

examples of secondary data external sources and administrative records

Answer 8

• external sources = Census, Surveys, Social Media
• administrative records = birth records, Post Office
  addresses, Population Registers

Question 9

disadvantages of secondary data

Answer 9

1. May be inaccurate
2. May be inconsistent
3. May be inaccessible
4. May be outdated
5. Variations in definitions of terms
6. Different units of measurement
7. Inconvenient to compare

Question 10

3 sources of demographic data

Answer 10

• Registration of vital statistics
  ◦ population processes of births and deaths
• Census of population
  ◦ population, demographic structure and
  characteristics
• Administrative data
  ◦ Local population changes, geographic mobility
  and migration

Question 11

what is the Registration of Vital Statistics

Answer 11

• Primarily administrative
• Collects data on vital events (live births,
  deaths, marriages, divorces, etc.)
• e.g. bills of mortality - used as reminder to produce life expectancy

Question 12

Registration of Vital Statistics advantages

Answer 12

• Continuously collected
• May provide both numerator and denominator (Infant Mortality Rate)
• Small area data are available
• Base for testing the accuracy of censuses and surveys

Question 13

Registration of Vital Statistics disadvantages

Answer 13

• Uncertain coverage.
• Limited background information
• Time reference inconsistent with denominator
• May come from third party
• Easily disrupted by political/economic events

Question 14

what is Census of population

Answer 14

• The term “census” = Latin word of assess
• Ancient censuses differed from modern censuses - they were largely used for taxation + military purposes
• the largest peacetime activity undertaken by the
  federal government - it’s our civic responsibility to complete the Census
• populations in the census = de facto population + de jure population - based on usual residence (where they sleep (U.S.,Canada, Mexico))

Question 15

what is the de facto population in the census

Answer 15

people who are in a given territory on census day - can think of it as daytime population

Question 16

what is the de jure population in the census

Answer 16

people who legally “belong” to a given area, regardless of whether they were there on the day of the census - can think of it as nighttime population

Question 17

whats the purpose of the census

Answer 17

To conduct a census of population and housing and disseminate the results to the President, the States, and the American People

primary uses:
- Apportion representation among states
- Draw congressional and state legislative districts, school districts, and voting precincts
- Distribute federal dollars to states <- $400 billion per year
- Provide detailed information on the populace
- Population Benchmark for other surveys

Question 18

overview of how a census is designed / how it works

Answer 18

1. establish where people are - where are all the housing units? - satellite imagary, postal etc
2. motivate people to respond
3. count the population
4. release census results - has to be delivered to president at end of census year
   **counting housing units to then count the actual number of people
   - LUCA allows people to update their addresses

Question 19

what is the census day (count date)

Answer 19

April 1 (XXX0)= census day - always use base number for population
July 1 = midway point - use to look at population change over time

Question 20

what is the long form and short form of census

Answer 20

• LF = 40 pages - contains all the good stuff e.g. how many toilets are in your house - this one was eventually eliminated - ACS is a replacement to this
• SF = 6 pages - essentially 10 questions about basic stuff e.g. age, sex

Question 21

advantage of ACS

Answer 21

on-going collection so new questions can be added
- In 2015 the CB released its first internet question
data - was not a concern in 2005 - would not know important data about internet in households without the ACS

Question 22

2 primary data products published by ACS

Answer 22

1-year + 5-year estimates
- Areas with more than 65k people, have both 1-
year and 5-year estimates
- smaller areas have to wait longer for immediate intelligence
- CB used to publish 3-year estimates, but those are discontinued

Question 23

what are the ACS data products

Answer 23

• Census Bureau suggests comparisons between
  estimates should not include overlapping years
• BUT, some companies are treating the 5-
  year estimates as 1-year estimates based on the
  mid-points <- Not a CB recommendation

Question 24

2 errors you can get in CB

Answer 24

• margins of error
• Net Coverage Error

Question 25

3 options when dealing with the margins of error

Answer 25

1. ignore them! - Even the CB will do this
2. Use the margin of error from the CB
3. calculate the MOE yourself - typically when you
   combine estimates
   **You can also “eyeball” the MOEs to determine if something is significantly different or not

Question 26

what is the net coverage error

Answer 26

he difference between those who were erroneous excluded (missing people) and those who were erroneously included (counted people twice)
**pop aged 0-4 =most likely age group to be undercounted