In 1982 the Census Bureau requested the Committee on National Statistics to establish a panel to suggest research and experiments, to recommend improved methods, and to guide the Census Bureau on technical problems in appraising contending methods with regard to the conduct of the decennial census. In response, the panel produced an interim report that focused on recommendations for improvements in census methodology that warranted early investigation and testing. This report updates and expands the ideas and conclusions about decennial census methodology. Table of ContentsFront Matter1 Introduction2 Purposes and Uses of the Decennial Census3 Census Methodology: Prior Practice and Current Test Plans4 Evaluating the Decennial Census: Past Experience5 Taking the Census I: Improving the Count6 Taking the Census II: The Uses of Sampling and Administrative Records7 Adjustment of Population Counts8 Measuring the Completeness of the 1990 CensusReferencesBiographical Sketches of Panel Members and StaffIndexCommittee on National Statistics