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For many businesses, good census data is the benchmark

What happens when the numbers aren't accurate?

Forms for Census 2010 are displayed during an event to promote the census on April 1, 2010 in Washington, DC.
Forms for Census 2010 are displayed during an event to promote the census on April 1, 2010 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether a question about citizenship should be included on the 2020 census. The Commerce Department’s move to add the citizenship question to the census places the issue of data quality in the spotlight. Critics say the question creates bias and could diminish participation, hurting the scientific value of the data. What would that mean for the multitude of businesses that rely on census data?

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