If the Census Bureau has its way, the government will no longer monitor statistical trends about marriage.
Members of Congress and agencies rely on demographic data to shape policy. Marriage has been declining, and the presence of single mothers is among the largest factors in the growth of entitlement programs.
But the government soon may have no idea how marriage is changing in America and how it is linked to the well-being of children and adults. The American Community Survey is sent yearly to a small fraction of Americans and goes into more detail than the once-every-ten-years Census, which sticks to basics and to which all Americans must respond.
The agency has proposed dropping the ACS questions relating to marriage and is accepting comment from the public through December 30. If the changes are made, they will go into effect in 2016.
