By Kathryn Vasel | CNN
The Census Bureau has proposed eliminating several marriage and divorce-related questions on the American Community Survey, putting them in the “low benefit and low cost category.”
But experts say that would be a mistake. They claim the change would lead to a gaping hole in data regarding the social and economic changes in the American family, which could have implications on everything from social research to Social Security.
“What happens in the family doesn’t stay in the family,” said Brad Wilcox, director of The Home Economics Project at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute. “It reverberates and ripples across the entire society in economic, social and cultural ways that are important to track.”
Comment by Kaine Fisher: “I think knowing the state of affairs as it pertains to divorce rates is relatively important. I can see how such information would help the public gain an understanding of certain social and economic trends. It is also helpful for family lawyers to understand their market. It makes no difference to me how that information is obtained, so long as the data are accurate and comprehensive. I don’t see any persuasive reasons given to stop using the ACS to gain this information.
