Level of Participation in the Census Bureau’s 2004 Overseas Enumeration Test

Carrie R. Simon, U.S. Census Bureau
Mark Moran, U.S. Census Bureau

In 2004, the Census Bureau conducted an overseas enumeration test in France, Kuwait, and Mexico. The objective of the test was to determine the feasibility of collecting data on U.S. citizens living abroad. While the test was in preparation for the 2010 Census, this evaluation was to assess coverage of the test with a particular focus on administrative records. In the 2004 Test, the size and characteristics of the target population were unknown, and measures of coverage were unavailable. Participation levels in each country were tabulated and compared, instead, with distributions of demographic categories, including age, race, sex, and Hispanic origin, from administrative records. While the participation level in the test was much lower than estimates from administrative records, the distribution of demographic characteristics was found to be similar. We conclude that the administrative records estimates provide a sense of the demographic distribution of U.S. citizens living in these countries.