Researchers say they're counting on census reform

Marketing research firms that rely on census information are concerned about the developments in the US Bureau of Census. They believe that its director Martha Farnsworth Riche was fired because she supports the use of statistical sampling to estimate people not included in conventional head count for the 2000 Census, a move opposed by Republicans. This practice could increase the number of minorities and residents of low-income neighborhoods represented in the official count by the millions, which could damage the Republican Party because these groups tend to support Democrats. Marketing research firms, particularly those that focus on marketing to ethnic groups, fear that minority populations will be misrepresented and that unique features of minority lifestyles may be overlooked.