Conducting the economic census

Government Information Quarterly

Volumn 15, Issue 3, 1998, Pages 275-302

  Ahmed, Shirin A ^a   Blum, Lawrence A ^a   Wallace, Mark E ^a  

^a U S CENSUS BUREAU   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 0040944303     PISSN: 0740624X     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/S0740-624X(98)90004-1     Document Type: Article

References (16)

1. See Judy M. Dodds, "Determining Economic Census Content," Government Information Quarterly, 15 (1998):247-262, for a detailed treatment of all the criteria that the Census Bureau must take into consideration - and the important "players" (such as the Bureau of Economic Analysis, other federal agencies, and many other types of data users) that must be consulted - before determining which questions will be on the Economic Census forms.
2. See Mark E. Wallace, "Public and Private Sector Uses of Economic Census Data," Government Information Quarterly, 15 (1998): 321-336, which shows how organizational, industry, and geographic levels of measurement form veritable "building blocks" of data that can be combined in limitless ways by data users.
3. See Carole A. Ambler & James E. Kristoff, "Introducing the North American Industry Classification System," Government Information Quarterly, 15 (1998):263-273. This article - by the current chairperson of the Economic Classification Policy Committee (the interagency committee chartered to develop NAICS) and by a participant on the interagency subcommittee that developed the manufacturing sector of NAICS - authoritatively covers the emergence and characteristics of the new system.
4. See Paul T. Zeisset & Mark E. Wallace, "How NAICS Will Affect Data Users," published on the Internet at 〈www.census.gov/epcd/www/naicusr.html〉. This brochure also is available in paper (Lanham, MD: Bernan Press 1997).
5. In previous Economic Censuses, "enterprise statistics" were collected by mailing a census questionnaire for ABC Company headquarters to fill out, too, on its payroll and other such characteristics. However, in the 1997 Economic Census, only Form 9901 is sent to ABC Company headquarters, a one-page form that asks for data on company ownership and control. If ABC Company (a multi-establishment company) also happens to have on its physical site a manufacturing plant, a warehouse, or other type of activity, then ABC Company receives not only Form 9901, but also the appropriate census questionnaire for the economic activity taking place at that site.
6. One aspect of measurement that will be greatly improved by using NAICS is the determination of market share. For example, under SIC, the Bed and Breakfast Inn industry was in Subsector 7011, Hotels and Motels. Sharing that category were the following: auto courts; cabins and cottages; casino hotels; hostels; hotels, except residential; inns, furnishing food and lodging; motels; recreational hotels; resort hotels; seasonal hotels; ski lodges and resorts; tourist cabins; and tourist courts. Under NAICS, Bed and Breakfast Inns now have not only their own, separate classification, but are classified as "bed and breakfast inns with 25 guestrooms or more" and "bed and breakfast inns with less than 25 guest rooms." This is the precision for which NAICS will be hailed by data users across the entire spectrum: public, private, individual, organizational, research-oriented or policy-oriented.
7. For the definitive treatment of this subject, see Edward D. Walker, "The Census Bureau's Business Register: Basic Features and Quality Issues." Presented at the Joint Statistical Meetings. Anaheim, CA, August 10-14, 1997.
8. The timely response to census questionnaires by big businesses is particularly important to the success of the Economic Census. The top 1,000 companies - those with over 5,000 employees - account for about 30% of all business activity, and nearly 10% of establishments. For a detailed account of the efforts of the Census Bureau to make large companies aware of their importance to accurate measurement during the Economic Census, see Robert A. Marske "Increasing Large Company Response to the Economic Census." Presented at the Census Advisory Committee of Professional Associations, October 26, 1995.
9. The enterprise consists of all business organizations under common ownership or control, as well as any affiliated firms in which the enterprise has the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies. Although controlling interest is usually defined as ownership of more than 50% of the outstanding voting stock, in some businesses (e.g., the banking industry, which considers 25% of stock ownership as a controlling interest) control may be exercised with a smaller percentage. In general, the Census Bureau accepts the company's listings and judgments of which companies it controls.
10. See Dodds, "Determining Economc Census Content," for several graphics that summarize the equivalent operations for determining Economic Census content. The graphics (and respective accompanying discussions) in both the Dodds article and the present article form a unified account of the Economic Census - from deciding which questions to ask, to the collection and processing of data, to the distribution of results in newly standardized table layouts and formats.
11. See Richard S. Sigman, "Development of a 'Plain Vanilla' System for Editing Economic Census Data," Working Paper presented at October 1997 United Nations Work Session on Statistical Data Editing.
12. The Census Bureau will publish the Core Business Statistics Series, debuting for 1997. This series is critical to the success of the 1997 Economic Census program. It includes the unprecedented release of data for all economic sectors right after the year in which the census is taken. This series also is important because it will showcase the very first data published on the new NAICS basis, and is key to bridging data between the old SIC system and NAICS. These "bridge" tables will present new data cross tabulated by both old and new classification systems at the same time, identifying the lowest common denominators between the two systems - SIC and NAICS. See Zeisset & Wallace, "How NAICS Will Affect Data Users " and Paul T. Zeisset, "Disseminating Economic Census Data," Government Information Quarterly, 15 (1998):305-320.
13. The Census Bureau will publish the Core Business Statistics Series, debuting for 1997. This series is critical to the success of the 1997 Economic Census program. It includes the unprecedented release of data for all economic sectors right after the year in which the census is taken. This series also is important because it will showcase the very first data published on the new NAICS basis, and is key to bridging data between the old SIC system and NAICS. These "bridge" tables will present new data cross tabulated by both old and new classification systems at the same time, identifying the lowest common denominators between the two systems - SIC and NAICS. See Zeisset & Wallace, "How NAICS Will Affect Data Users " and Paul T. Zeisset, "Disseminating Economic Census Data," Government Information Quarterly, 15 (1998):305-320.
14. The Census Bureau will publish the Core Business Statistics Series, debuting for 1997. This series is critical to the success of the 1997 Economic Census program. It includes the unprecedented release of data for all economic sectors right after the year in which the census is taken. This series also is important because it will showcase the very first data published on the new NAICS basis, and is key to bridging data between the old SIC system and NAICS. These "bridge" tables will present new data cross tabulated by both old and new classification systems at the same time, identifying the lowest common denominators between the two systems - SIC and NAICS. See Zeisset & Wallace, "How NAICS Will Affect Data Users " and Paul T. Zeisset, "Disseminating Economic Census Data," Government Information Quarterly, 15 (1998):305-320.
15. The Census Bureau has successfully created an improved data production and dissemination system for 1997. It is a system that will require fewer resources to create a more standardized data product which can be accessed quickly and easily by innovative and user friendly CD-ROM and Internet software. To provide some perspective regarding this accomplishment, a brief history of the Economic Census publication system processing follows. Prior to the 1977 Economic Census, all publication tables had been typed or generated by the impact printer, with all titles, column headings, lines, footnotes, symbols, and corrections added manually. Much of this process was literally a "cut and paste" operation. The experimental computerized, photocomposition publication program (the Table Image Processing System [TIPS]), developed for the 1977 Economic Census, was a major innovation to accelerate the production of publications. Nonetheless, this system still had major limitations that slowed the publication process. Therefore, a redesign effort was undertaken for the 1982 Economic Census. Addressing these limitations led to the development of TIPS II. The improved system included automated table composition, minimal manual processing of corrections to text and data, and greater flexibility and timeliness in the release of publications. For most past censuses, Economic Census printed reports were organized in separate series for industries, geographic areas, and special subjects. For some of these series, preliminary reports containing selected basic statistics were issued several months prior to publication of the final data. The final reports, which were issued after further review and analysis of the reported data, presented more detailed information. However, even the improvements associated with TIPS II resulted in relatively minor differences in the timing of data release from the 1977 and 1982 Economic Censuses. Later, with advent of CD-ROM technology - allowing random access to database information - electronic data dissemination played increasingly important roles in contributing to continuous improvement in the data release from the 1987 and 1992 Economic Censuses. Also - beginning with 1982 data, increasingly with 1987 data, and tapering off with 1992 data - the Census Bureau released data online via CENDATA. This was a database of the most current and widely used data products and was provided through cooperating private online vendors. Finally, with the advent of the Internet and World Wide Web, the Bureau phased out electronic data dissemination via CENDATA. In fact, most products from the 1992 Economic Census are now available on the Internet.
16. Zeisset, "Disseminating Economic Census Data."