Q. I filled out the census short form, and--though I don't want to boast--I finished it in 3 min. flat. The reduction-in-paperwork instructions said it would take 10 min. for an average person to complete. How did the Census Bureau calculate its estimate?
A. Single people, such as you, probably take less time than others. To answer the question, Patricia Kelly, assistant division chief for forms design and printing in the Decennial Systems and Contract Management Office of the Census Bureau (she must have foldout business cards), used three separate, entirely unscientific sample groups in arriving at the estimate. First, she...
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