“If we didn’t have accurate, reliable, consistent data from the Census Bureau at Target, we wouldn’t have placed a lot of bets. We wouldn’t have invested millions of dollars to build a store unless ACS data showed it could be profitable,” she said. “And I guess the question is, without accurate, consistent data, will people just make up numbers or not move forward with projects?”
In recent years, abundant digital-age data has created new possibilities for what the agencies could do with enough resources, said Erica Groshen, who served as Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) commissioner from 2013-2017.
But diminished funding and declining survey responses — a global issue Groshen attributed to factors including survey fatigue, privacy concerns and the challenge of tracking down respondents who only use mobile phones — have threatened the agencies’ core work.
”Now, the agencies are facing a lot of collateral damage from the actions of the current administration,“ Groshen said. ”Most of it is not aimed at the statistical agencies, but it is having serious impacts.”
About 260,000 workers have left or made plans to leave the federal government this year amid layoffs, buyouts and other measures (like return-to-office mandates) under the Trump administration, according to a Reuters tally.