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Federal Data Collection: Agencies' Use of Consistent Race and Ethnic Definitions

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date Dec. 15, 1992
Report No. GGD-93-25
Subject
Summary:

Race and ethnic background is a sensitive subject, and making determinations of such identity for statistical purposes is an imprecise effort at best. Federal guidelines aim at ensuring consistency in federal data collection. Although the agencies GAO reviewed appear to follow these policies, they do not verify that data collectors comply with the definitions during surveys because of the substantial resources that would be required. This failure to verify compliance, combined with limited review by the Office of Management and Budget, could be a source of error in reporting, as seen in an infant mortality study by the Centers for Disease Control. In addition, inconsistency can become a problem when agencies use data that are not collected according to federal standards because these sources may have their own rules that may differ from federal guidelines. The agencies GAO reviewed appear to understand this situation and took it into account when publishing reports.

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