'This is break glass in case of emergency stuff': Analysts alarmed by threats to US data gathering

Federal statistical agencies are facing a critical crisis due to long-term funding cuts and proposed legislative restrictions that threaten the accuracy and independence of vital national data. Experts warn that reduced purchasing power has severely limited these agencies' ability to innovate and maintain rigorous standards. Without adequate resources, the government risks producing unreliable data that fails to reflect the true demographic reality of the country, undermining the foundation for evidence-based policy and public trust. Proposed measures to exclude unauthorized immigrants from census counts for political apportionment and to strictly limit survey follow-up contacts pose immediate dangers to data integrity. Such restrictions are viewed as unconstitutional and statistically devastating, likely leading to significant undercounts of vulnerable populations. These changes would disrupt the equitable distribution of political power and federal funds, which rely on precise headcounts, and would cripple the ability of agencies to reach non-responsive households, rendering essential economic and social indicators obsolete. This situation is crucial to open data because it highlights the fragility of the infrastructure that supports transparent, accessible, and accurate public information. When statistical agencies are compromised by political meddling or budget shortfalls, the resulting data gaps erode accountability and hinder researchers, journalists, and citizens from holding power to account. Protecting the independence and funding of these agencies is essential for ensuring that the open data ecosystem remains robust, reliable, and useful for democratic engagement and societal analysis.

Source: toronto.citynews.ca
Published on 2024-07-10

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