An Examination of Mode of Response for the Foreign-Born Population in the American Community Survey

Thomas A. Gryn, U.S. Census Bureau
Edward N. Trevelyan, U.S. Census Bureau
Margaret Richardson, University of Maryland
Michelle Sandhoff, University of Maryland
Carlos Siordia, Texas A&M University
David Strohecker, University of Maryland

The American Community Survey (ACS) collects data from respondents via three modes of response: mail, Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI), and Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI). This poster analyzes what mode of response was most commonly used by the foreign-born population in 2009. The first section of the poster looks at the total U.S. population by nativity and citizenship, and further subdivided by major demographic characteristics such as age, race, and Hispanic origin. The second section focuses on the foreign-born population, comparing naturalized citizens to noncitizens on such characteristics as year of entry, English proficiency, and country and region of birth. As the poster will demonstrate, mode differences exist when the data are analyzed across various characteristics, especially nativity and citizenship.