Accuracy of Same-sex Couples Data in the American Community Survey

描述（由申请人提供）：大量关于美国同性伴侣的研究使用十年一次的人口普查和美国社区调查（ACS）作为主要数据来源。然而，研究表明，潜在的很大一部分被认定为同性伴侣的人实际上可能是被认定为异性伴侣的人，其中一方错误地编码了他们的性别。从2008年开始，人口普查局改变了ACS的调查工具和编辑程序，这可能大大减少了被识别的同性伴侣样本中被错误识别的可能性。这项提案将有助于确定2008年和2009年ACS采用的新程序是否提高了同性伴侣人口普查数据的可靠性和准确性。研究结果将使研究人员能够在使用这些数据时理解和解释错误识别问题。鉴于美国人口普查局（Census Bureau）已开始正式发布同性伴侣的人口估计数，评估同性伴侣数据可靠性的紧迫性进一步加剧。分析将集中在两个研究目标上。第一个研究目标是比较2007年、2008年和2009年ACS的数据，以帮助评估2008/2009年ACS的数据收集和编辑程序是否能提高回应的准确性，并提高同性伴侣数据的可靠性。分析将使用ACS的机密数据，包括对家庭名册的原始未编辑回复，以评估同性伴侣数据的质量。第二个研究目的是评估同性伴侣法律关系认知的复杂性是否会造成对户主关系和婚姻状况问题的未经编辑的回答之间的不一致。这种法律地位上的不一致可能表现为同性伴侣对户主问题（丈夫/妻子vs未婚伴侣）和婚姻状况问题（已婚vs其他回答）共同解释关系的不一致。对这种不协调的考虑将提供一些见解，让我们了解同性伴侣在面对复杂的法律关系环境时是如何处理这些问题的。当同性伴侣被要求定义其关系的社会和法律性质时，这些分析将有助于理解如何精心设计问题，以适应他们所面临的挑战。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A significant amount of the research on same-sex couples in the United States uses the Decennial Census and the American Community Survey (ACS) as primary data sources. However, research shows that a potentially large fraction of identified same-sex couples may actually be misidentified different-sex spouses where one partner miscoded their sex. Beginning in 2008, the Census Bureau changed its survey instrument and editing procedures for the ACS in a manner which may have significantly reduced the potential for misidentification in the identified same-sex couples' sample. This proposal will help determine if new procedures used in the 2008 and 2009 ACS have improved the reliability and accuracy of Census data on same-sex couples. Findings will allow researchers to understand and account for the misidentification issue when using these data. The urgency of assessing the reliability of same-sex-couple data is further compounded given that the Census Bureau has begun formally releasing population estimates of same-sex spouses. Analyses will focus on two research aims. The first research aim will compare data from the 2007, 2008, and 2009 ACS to help assess if the 2008/2009 ACS data collection and editing procedures yield greater accuracy of responses and improve the reliability of same-sex couple data. Analyses will use confidential ACS data that includes original unedited responses to the household roster to assess the quality of the same-sex couples' data. The second research aim will assess if the complexity of legal relationship recognition for same- sex couples creates discordance between unedited responses to the relationship to householder and the marital status questions. This discordance in their legal status may manifest itself in discordance in how same- sex couples jointly interpret the relationship to householder question (husband/wife vs. unmarried partner) and the marital status question (currently married vs. other responses). The consideration of this discordance will offer insights into how same-sex couples process these questions in the face of a complex legal relationship environment. These analyses will be useful in understanding how to craft questions that accommodate the challenges faced by same-sex couples when they are asked to define the social and legal nature of their relationships. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The US Decennial Census and the American Community Survey (ACS) are perhaps the most widely used data sources to study the geographic, economic, and demographic characteristics of same-sex couples. Beginning in 2008, the Census Bureau changed its survey instrument and editing procedures for the ACS in a manner which may have significantly improved the accuracy and validity of the same-sex couples' sample. This research will help to determine if new procedures used in the 2008 ACS have improved the reliability and accuracy of Census Bureau data on same-sex couples.