The 2020 Census is still at risk

The Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 Census — at least, for now. This is a huge win for democracy: There is plenty of compelling research on why the citizenship question would depress response rates, particularly among immigrant, African American, and Hispanic groups. But the danger isn’t over: Declining trust in government and a lower likelihood that people will respond to surveys means there is still a risk the census will produce a severe undercount of between 20 and 30 percent. The decennial census guides the allocation of $800 billion in federal funding, determines congressional representation and districting, and underpins important business decisions. 

[Chris Dick, a former Census Bureau statistician and branch chief, is head of the government practice at the data science firm Civis Analytics]