Information Nation: The Need for Improved Federal Civil Rights Data Collection
“Information Nation: The Need for Improved Federal Civil Rights Data Collection” urges the Biden administration to prioritize and improve data collection, especially in regards to marginalized and vulnerable communities.
This report builds on our earlier reports documenting the broad attacks on data collection that took place under the Trump administration. It also grew out of our response to the Biden administration’s efforts to improve federal data collection in its larger pursuit of racial equity in connection with Executive Order 13985. The order committed the administration to pursue a “comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.”
Our report underscores many of the recommendations in the report recently issued by the White House titled, “A Vision for Equitable Data: Recommendations from the Equitable Data Working Group.” We also provide concrete examples and steps that can be taken by the Biden administration, including recommendations for the Office of Management and Budget and federal agencies to ensure stakeholder input at all stages of federal surveys and data collection; restore and expand the scope, frequency, and public accessibility of data; add much-needed data collections; increase disaggregation of data; improve cost-benefit analyses; and preserve data privacy.