From the moment it was announced in March, the decision to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 census was described by critics as a ploy to discourage immigrants from filling out the form and improve Republican political fortunes. The Commerce Department, which made the decision, insisted that sound […] Read more »
The Public, the Political System and American Democracy
At a time of growing stress on democracy around the world, Americans generally agree on democratic ideals and values that are important for the United States. But for the most part, they see the country falling well short in living up to these ideals, according to a new study of […] Read more »
FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast: Let’s Play Family Feud!
What are President Trump’s strengths and weaknesses? The FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast team plays “FiveThirtyEight Family Feud” — a new game we made up — to try to find an answer. The team also debates the merits of the census’s new citizenship question and discusses its potential effects on political representation […] Read more »
Census change will have a political impact. Question is: How much?
This week, the U.S. Census suddenly became a hot political topic in Washington – yes, you read that right, the U.S. Census. And now a partisan fight is brewing over the bureau’s crucial 2020 survey. It began on Tuesday when the Trump administration proposed a last-minute additional question to the […] Read more »
Poll Hub: Census Uproar
With the deadline to file the questionnaire for the 2020 U.S. Census imminent, the Department of Commerce’s decision to include a question about citizenship is drawing ire. In this episode of Poll Hub, the team gets at the heart of the controversy, discusses the stakes for including the question, and clears […] Read more »
Wilbur Ross Overruled Career Officials at Census Bureau to Add Citizenship Question
Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross’ decision Monday to add a controversial question on citizenship to the 2020 census came in the face of opposition from career officials at the Census Bureau who fear it will depress response rates, especially from immigrants. … The driving force behind the request for the […] Read more »