Guidance: About Historical References To Citizenship Questions On The Census

If you need to refer to the proposed citizenship question for the 2020 census, contact Hansi Lo Wang or Luis Clemens before doing so. One of them should review what you plan to say or write because the history of such questions is complicated.

They will tell you, for example, that:

- If the question is put on the census in the way the administration is proposing, it would be the first time the U.S. government has directly asked for the citizenship status of every person living in every household. Be aware: There are at least seven words in that sentence that have to be there or we'll be wrong. Hansi and Luis can explain what they are.

- The last time citizenship status was among the census questions for all households was 1950 — but it was something of a two-parter. That sentence has at least six critical words.