U.S. Department of Commerce
Economic & Statistics Administration
Press Release - 02 December 1996

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                                                                                        FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                      MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1996  Census 2000 Publicity Office                           CB96-203 301-457-2000 301-457-4067 (TDD) e-mail: 
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                                                                                                                                        **MEDIA ADVISORY**             CENSUS BUREAU TO RELEASE RESEARCH RESULTS        ON RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN QUESTIONS FOR CENSUS 2000                                         The Commerce Department's Census Bureau will release results of testing alternative versions of questions on race and Hispanic origin from the 1996 National Content Survey (NCS) and discuss findings from the report on the subject at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 5th in the Francis Amasa Walker Conference Center at the Census Bureau headquarters in Suitland, Maryland. The briefing will be part of the meetings of the Census Advisory Committee on the African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Hispanic Populations to be held on December 5th and 6th at the Census Bureau.       The report,  "Findings on Questions on Race and Hispanic Origin Tested in the 1996 National Content Survey," focuses on the effects that three alternative questionnaire forms to the 1990 census questionnaire form had on how people answer the questions on race and Hispanic origin.  The alternatives included questionnaires that:  -    added a multiracial category in the race question;                                                                    -    placed the Hispanic origin question immediately before the      race question; and  -    combined both of these changes.       The NCS is part of the Census Bureau's research and testing program for Census 2000; results from it will be considered in developing the race and Hispanic origin questions included in Census 2000.  The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and its Federal Interagency Committee for the Review of Racial and Ethnic Standards will consider findings from the NCS, and research conducted by other federal agencies, in their review of federal standards for race and ethnic reporting set forth in Statistical Policy Directive No. 15.  Final recommendations will be made by the OMB in the spring of next year.  Note: Because of limited seating, contact Kim Higginbotham on 301-457-2000 if you plan to cover this event.                                  -X-  December 2, 1996