UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Alexis Santos, assistant professor of human development and family studies and co-funded faculty member in the Social Science Research Institute at Penn State, has been appointed to the U.S. Census Bureau’s National Advisory Committee (NAC). The committee considers issues related to hard-to-reach populations, including aging populations, new immigrant populations, those affected by natural disasters, and those with limited access to technology, as well as issues of race, ethnicity, and language.
“Research has shown that Census counts have historically excluded or undercounted some racially and ethnically minoritized populations. The first order of business for this committee is to provide input on how to reach those populations in the next Census and other data collection efforts. Once we reach them, we have to be sure that they are providing accurate information concerning their characteristics,” Santos said. “There is a lot of work happening even now to make sure the 2030 Census is deployed with special care in reaching those populations that are traditionally undercounted.”