Quiz: The Great Depression – Using Census Data to Address an Economic Crisis

Multiple-Choice Questions

1. In the 1930 Census, what additional questions were asked of people who were not working on the day before the count?
A) Their political party affiliation
B) Their ability to work, job search status, duration of past employment, and reason for unemployment
C) Their household income and savings
D) Their opinions on the New Deal

2. How many unemployment censuses did the Census Bureau conduct in 1937?
A) One
B) Two
C) Three
D) Four

3. Approximately how many households received the Enumerative Check Census?
A) 18,000
B) 51,000
C) 510,000
D) 5,100,000

4. How did the Census Bureau select areas to canvass for the Enumerative Check Census?
A) By state population size
B) By random selection of postal routes, excluding business areas
C) By household income level
D) By city size only

5. What percentage of people were excluded from the Enumerative Check Census because they did not live on a postal route?
A) 5 percent
B) 10 percent
C) 18 percent
D) 25 percent

6. Which census result more accurately reflected the true unemployment rate in 1937?
A) The voluntary self-selected census
B) The Enumerative Check Census
C) Both were equally accurate
D) Neither was considered accurate

7. What made the 1940 decennial census significant in terms of data collection methods?
A) It was the first census delivered entirely by mail
B) It was the first decennial census to use statistical sampling
C) It eliminated the need for enumerators
D) It was the last census to ask about employment

8. What survey does the Census Bureau now conduct monthly, which grew out of the sampling practices established in the mid-20th century?
A) The Enumerative Check Census
B) The Unemployment Census
C) The American Community Survey
D) The Decennial Population Survey

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Short-Answer Questions

9. Explain why people might have been reluctant to answer questions about their employment status when interviewed in person by an enumerator during the 1930 Census.

10. Describe one advantage and one disadvantage of collecting unemployment data in 1937, between the decennial censuses of 1930 and 1940.

11. Using Item 3, identify the region(s) of the country that had the highest percentages of total unemployment for both men and women, and explain how this data might have been used to support New Deal funding decisions.

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Answer Key

1. B
2. B
3. C
4. B
5. C
6. B
7. B
8. C

1. Sample answer: People may have felt embarrassed or ashamed to admit unemployment to an enumerator in person, especially given the widespread economic hardship following the stock market crash; face-to-face reporting could have made people less honest than an anonymous or written format.

1. Sample answer: An advantage was that it gave legislators more timely, up-to-date data on unemployment to guide New Deal policy between decennial censuses. A disadvantage was that the methods used (such as the postal route sampling) were not fully accurate, excluding 18 percent of the population not living on postal routes, and the voluntary census underreported unemployment.

1. Answers will vary based on Item 3 data but should identify the region(s) with the highest unemployment percentages for both sexes and connect this to an argument that these areas most needed New Deal relief funding, using the specific percentages shown in the item.