An unusually high rate of questions on the 2020 census went unanswered, according to documents released by the Census Bureau, the Associated Press reports.
Why it matters: Many of the unanswered questions had to do with demographics, the answers to which help governments redraw congressional and state legislative districts, according to a Census Bureau press release.
The big picture: An early estimate suggested that 10-20% of questions on last year's census went unanswered, though the Census Bureau said that later calculations showed the actual rates to be lower, reports AP.
- Typically 1-3% of questions go unanswered in a census, University of Minnesota demographer Steven Ruggles told AP.
- The questions residents avoided responding to pertained to "sex, race, Hispanic background, family relationships and age, even when providing a count of the number of people living in the home," notes AP.
What to watch: The 2020 census results will be released on Aug. 12.
- The release of the data was delayed by COVID-19 and interference by the Trump administration, per NPR.